Missing Time
by claihm solais
Summary: Sailor Pluto is usually unflappable, but when disaster strikes, and she is left without the support of the other Senshi, how will she cope with an enemy that would overwhelm her alone? What if her only hope is her worst enemy - Saotome Ranma?
1. Prologue

**Missing Time (working title)**

_A Ranma ½-Bishoujou Senshi Sailor Moon Fanfiction story_

_By Patrick Nguyen Huu_

**Disclaimer**: Ranma ½ belongs to Rumiko Takahashi-sensei, Sailor Moon is Naoko Takeuchi's. I make no claim to any of her work whatsoever, so don't sue me.

**Summary**: Sailor Pluto is usually unflappable, but when disaster strikes, and she is left without the support of the other Senshi, how will she cope with an enemy that would overwhelm her alone? What if the only person she could turn to was a chaos-magnet of a martial artist with more women trouble than he can keep track of, by the name of Saotome Ranma?

**Author's Note:** This story was partially inspired by Ozzallos's "The Best of Times" and "A Time Apart." So, thanks, Ozzallos, for bringing us these fantastic stories, and let's see if I can't try my hand on a Ranma/Setsuna romance for a change. This is actually the first non-canon pairing I ever wanted to write, but then I got into reading RK fics, and those of you who know me (and bother to read my ANs) know that I get easily distracted with ideas for other stories, so...anyway, here goes nothing.

Prologue

Even the best laid plans can fall to subterfuge. That was a truth of life Meiou Setsuna was only all too familiar with, after all, she had seen more than enough failure in her fifteen millennia of life. In fact, she had seen it so often that she had made it a habit to have backup plans. And backup plans for the backup plans. Over-redundancy had saved her life, and the lives of her fellow Senshi, more than a few times.

But this was the one time she hadn't expected to fail. And not in such a spectaculara – if gruesome – fashion, either. If it had been happening to someone else, she would have laughed. The chain of events that had occurred that led to this point, the events that had shattered every single one of her carefully-prepared backup plans, had been so random, so unpredictable that even the Time Gates had given the odds of _this_ particular outcome a less than one in a trillionth of a trillionth. In short, the odds had been so infinitesimal that she had thought herself very, very safe. For this to happen, it would have had to be the epitome of random chance.

That was an opinion she was quickly forced to rescind as a blast of energy tore past her to sear a hole into Mars's chest. The black-haired girl stood there for a moment in complete shock as she stared at the gaping hole in her torso before falling over, her eyes glazed over and unseeing. Mars was the latest in a long line of casualties that this battle had produces. Her dead body hit the ground to join those of Mercury, Jupiter, Uranus, and Neptune.

There were only four of them left standing – Pluto, Moon, Venus, and Saturn. Make that three. Venus went down after being choked to death with her own Love-Me chain. The man dropped the blonde's corpse and grinned toothily at Saturn, but before Pluto could intervene, the tip of the Silence Glaive had embedded itself into his gut, and the man died with the same eerie expression on his face, a black and yellow bandanna fluttering from his forehead.

The jubilation over that one victory didn't last long. One of the enemy was down, but their other opponent was still alive, and this one was the more dangerous foe. The young man was something she would have called handsome under any other circumstances, with his stormy blue eyes and black hair tied back in a pigtail, but after watching him decimate the Senshi Setsuna could only call him terrifying.

She knew his real name, of course, but the events that had led to this fight had all but eradicated the person he had once been…much like it had destroyed the person Setsuna had believed she had been. Now he fought with a reckless abandon, no longer caring whether he lived or died, but very determined to take them with him to hell. Now he was known to them only as "The Enemy."

The Enemy whirled around Saturn's glaive, easily dodging the attacks almost lazily as if she wasn't trying to take his head off, then retaliated by grabbing hold of her throat and ripping out her windpipe, leaving the young girl's gasping body to die on the ground.

Then there were only two of them left. Setsuna could see the anger flashing in Sailor Moon's eyes…anger that hadn't existed a mere few weeks ago, before all of this had begun. Before their two enemies had started their personal vendetta against the Senshi. This battle had forced all of them into becoming monsters…forgetting about compassion and focusing solely on destroying, on killing their opponents. Usagi had been struck the hardest by this change, just by the very nature of her personality.

But after seeing her friends get killed one by one, her fear and horror had transformed into anger and hatred. It had been the same for all of the Senshi, until, in the end, they had become exactly like their enemies.

And the worst tihng was, Setsuna couldn't even blame their enemy. They fought for all the right reasons, even if they were sometimes blinded by grief. They had not caused a single innocent casualty. And they had continued to protect the general populace from the youma attacks that had been the Senshi's duty – in some cases even better than the Senshi had.

All in all, Setsuna was forced to concede, this was an end of their own making,

Their enemy seemed to have noticed she was holding back from the fight, while Usagi was continuously tossing out magic spells at him, and apparently he decided to leave her be for the time being…but she could feel his attention on her still, as if daring her to try something while he was engaged with another opponent. Not that Usagi was much of a match for him, Setsuna admitted with a grimace. Their enemy had taken on all of them and taken their companions down one by one when the odds had been two on eight. Now it was just one against two, and the only reason Usagi was holding her own as long as she did was that she had incredible amounts of power at her disposal in form of the Ginzuisho.

To be perfectly honest, Setsuna couldn't fault their enemy for wanting them dead. No, she decided, their reaction was more than human. In fact, it was their dedication to humanity that had caused them to go down this path, to actively hunt down the Senshi. It hadn't just started six weeks ago when Saotome Ranma and Hibiki Ryoga knocked on the door to the Hino shrine and asked for a duel with Sailors Mars and Uranus.

It had begun more than a year ago when Saotome Nodoka had been killed by Sailor Mars, and the Tendo home and dojo were destroyed by Sailor Uranus. With almost the entire Tendo clan inside. The only survivor was one Tendo Nabiki, who apparently was now running interference for Ranma and Ryoga in their quest for revenge.

During her introspection, Setsuna had missed almost the entire fight between Usagi and Ranma, but the outcome was inevitable. He had slowly closed the distance between himself and Usagi while crossing her barrage of spells, then…_disappeared_?

Setsuna gaped. This was something she hadn't seen before. Her personal precognition warned her a split second before he reappeared behind Usagi, pounding her back with rapid strikes. Setsuna could practically see the spikes of energy he was driving through the princess's body, and Usagi collapsed after a mercifully short time.

That just left her. He turned to face her, standing as casually as if they were conversing about the weather and he hadn't just killed off the Sailor Senshi.

"Just you and me now," he said.

"Yes." Setsuna stared at him for a moment, then lowered the Time Key. At his curious expression, she sighed and explained. "I'm tired. I'm tired of fighting. I'm tired of watching people I know and care for die."

She could see the understanding in his eyes, and continued. "I understand why you're doing this," she admitted, though it wasn't easy. "I would, too, if you had wronged me the way we wronged you. But I'm so tired of fighting. So…go ahead. Kill me. Send me to the rest of my friends. Let this end, here and now."

Ranma looked as though he would, his hands beginning to glow with energy, and for the first time in a long time, Setsuna felt fear. Rain had started, and the light drizzle from before grew into a heavy blanket of water falling from the sky. She was acutely aware of the fact that no water touched him, evaporating the instant it touched the battle-aura that surrounded him.

He took slow, deliberate steps, until he was right in front of her, then stopped. His right hand rose, and an energy blast began to form there. Setsuna held her breath as the swirling energy coalesced into a ball of bright blue light. It hovered a mere inch in front of her chest, held in check only by his will. This close, even if she chose to defend herself and slowed time around her, there was no way for her to evade it.

The two remained silent for a long moment, and Setsuna closed her eyes, waiting to feel the searing pain of death. Instead, she heard his voice.

"Can we fix it?"

"What?" The green-haired woman's eyes snapped open, just in time to see the ki-blsat dissipating in his lowered hand.

"Can we fix it?" He repeated himself, surprising her. This was the first time they had spoken without hostility, without being engaged in battle. And she was surprised at his tone…it mirrored hers. _Of course,_ she thought to herself, _he's lost as much as you have. He's fought as much as you have, and he's still the person he was before, deep down. He's just as tired of this…this shit as you are._

"What do you mean?" Setsuna looked around the battlefield, at the dead bodies of her comrades, as well as the corpse of his friend. There was no fixing this. There was no bringing them back to life. Even if there was, there was already too much hatred in between them to ever breed anything but fighting.

"With that magic of yours. Nabiki says you control time. Can't you just…roll it all back? Like, stop all of this before it ever happened?" He sounded almost…hopeful.

Setsuna shook her head. "I can travel back in time, but I can't undo it. I would simply be exist twice in that time-frame. And even then I wouldn't be allowed to interfere in the events."

"Allowed? Allowed?" Ranma bellowed. "All of this, and you could have stopped it!"

"No!" Setsuna shouted. "I never wanted this! This happening was so far down on the probabilities that it couldn't, _shouldn't_ have happened!"

Ranma sighed as he calmed down. "When did it start? When did things go wrong?"

It took Setsuna only a moment of thinking to find the answer to that. "February 9th, 1996. One year, two months, and seventeen days ago."

"What happened? I don't remember that date."

"A new enemy appeared, and the Senshi lost their first battle." Setsuna sighed. "It caused quite a bit of hostility among them; hostility that eventually led Rei to kill the youma possessing your mother instead of containing it so that Usagi could purify it. The same enemy that caused the Outers so much trouble that Haruka, in a fit of rage, destroyed the entire Tendo home and chalked it up as collateral damage, just to destroy a single opponent."

"Some protectors of love and justice," Ranma snorted.

"Indeed." Setsuna sighed.

"You mentioned this being low on the probabilities. What did you mean by that?"

"For this exact worst case to happen, a few things had to occur…things that were so random, so improbable, that this," the waved her arm around the battlefield, "had a less than one in a trillionth chance of happening. For this to happen, the Senshi would have had to loose their first fight against this enemy, and Sailor Mars would have had to be beaten to within an inch of her life. Given our experience in combat and the numbers of possible lineups for the first contact, that was very unlikely. Second, your mother would have had to be singled out for possession by the exact youma that defeated Sailor Mars. Considering the general populace of even Juuban Ward and the likelyhood that Mars would the be first person on site, it was even more unlikely. Couple that with you walking in the moment the two ended their battle, as well as Mars loosing her temper when you tried to interfere…the possibility of this _exact_ chain of events occurring was remote, at best. The events that led to the destruction of the Tendo home are even more random."

"So, can't you go back in time and fix it?"

"Even if I went back in time," she explained sadly, "events will play out exactly the same. The future has already been written. And even so, the root of all things is that eventually, the Senshi will be so worn out from battling this new enemy that they'll resort to almost any measures, accept almost any collateral damage, just to finish the fight."

Ranma was silent for a long moment. "So, the problem is that you were in over your head with an enemy so badly you'd do anything to win, right?"

"Essentially, yes. We've had bad encounters before, where some of us came very close to dying, but this level of combat fatigue is something we've never dealt with before. You must understand, despite everything we've faced thus far, they aren't trained warriors."

"They're children." Ranma's face darkened. "I see. What about you?"

"Me?"

"You're a fighter. You've studied combat. I can see it in the way you move."

Setsuna fought down a blush at the compliment. She wasn't supposed to feel flattered that someone who wanted to kill her paid her a compliment, but being acknowledged as a good fighter by probably the best martial artist of his generation still had an impact on her. "Yes, I've been trained in unarmed and armed combat. But I'm only one person, and I can't stop an entire invasion by myself. Rei, Makoto, and Haruka had some martial arts training, but nothing like what would be required to stop this new enemy."

"What if you had help?" Ranma stared at her intensely, though she could feel he wasn't looking _at_ her.

"What do you mean?"

"You said you could go back in time, but you wouldn't be enough to change things. What if you had help?"

"I can't send two people back in time. I also can't change the fact that I will already exist in that timeline, so there'd be two of me. That's still not enough, besides, it would create one hell of a temporal paradox."

"I'm not talking about you." Ranma turned around, staring away from her. "What if you found…other help a year ago?"

"If I had help, and they were powerful enough to rival the Senshi…maybe." Setsuna wondered what he was getting at. "But where would I find that kind of help?"

"You're standing in front of it." Ranma produced a strand of thread, leaving his hair to flutter in the wind untied. He placed the string in her hand. "Give this to me – in the past – and tell him you need help, and what you need it for. He'll believe you."

"What's this?" Setsuna held up the thread to eye-level to inspect it.

"Dragon's Whisker. The only way you could have gotten it was from me," he replied. "Cologne was the only one who knew about it, and she's dead."

"There'll still be another me around. I can't change that. Plus, if she's as arrogant as I was…this is so improbably, she'll never believe me."

"What if you die?"

"What?"

"Cologne told me about this temporal magic of yours. She says if you try to stop time, you die."

"Yes…so?"

"Cologne also told me that the magic doesn't care who dies, as long as it's given the energy to sustain it."

A plan began to form in Setsuna's mind at the words, a plan that was so impossible and improbable that the only person who'd ever think of it was the one standing before her. "If I stop time…and then had enough energy left to go back in time…" She thought about the mechanics of it for a moment. "The backlash from the magic would destroy me. But there's a chance that it would be the other me in the past. But how would I even live through stopping time?"

"Simple." Ranma spread his arms and began to glow.

"Are you sure? You'd die, and I'm not even sure if it'll work. Even if it does, there's a fifty percent chance that I'll die from magical backlash, not my past self."

A grim smile spread on Ranma's face. "I'm already dead. My family's dead. Your friends are dead. Nothing could be worse than this. And if it doesn't work, well…then we'll see each other in this exact same place again. And then we'll try again. And again. Until it works."

Setsuna realized that he was right. There was nothing left to stay alive for, and everything to gain, if their gamble paid off. "Thank you," she whispered, for once loosing the tight rein she had on her emotions. "Thank you for giving us a second chance."

"Thank me after we've stopped all of this." Ranma was already channeling his life-force into the ambient air, and she could feel the super-saturated air around her.

"_Jikan yo Tomore_." Everything around them stopped, and he still kept feeding his energy into the wind. Setsuna felt the pull of the magic on her own life-force, but held on tightly, until she felt its draw lessen.

"Thank you," she whispered again, before slipping into the time stream.


	2. Chapter One

**Author's Note:** Wow. That was a lot of reviews and hits for just a single day O.o. I'm glad you guys like the start, and it turns out my muse was hard at work, so I spent the night cranking out the next chapter. Due to popular demand, here it is, a full week early. I hope you enjoy, and as always, constructive criticism (as well as ego-boosting praise .) are welcome. I'd also love any suggestions on improving the story, if you feel like sharing.

Chapter One

The first thing she knew when she regained consciousness was pain. Apparently, whatever they'd done, it _hurt_! The second thought she had, as she tried to force her eyes open, was that since she still remembered what had happened – or rather, what _would_ happen – their reckless plan must have worked.

"Oh, you're finally awake, thank goodness!"

The strange voice caused Setsuna's eyes to fly open, and she was grateful it was dark outside, or she would be having a big headache. Her eyes took a moment to readjust, and after a moment, a woman's face swam into view above her. Her short-cropped blonde hair strongly reminded Setsuna of Haruka, but the face had a softer, gentler quality to it that she would expect from Michiru, or Usagi.

"Who-who are you?" Setsuna noticed her own voice was raspy and dry, as if she hadn't had anything to drink for a long time.

The strange woman smiled and left, only to return a moment later with a glass of water. "I'm Satsuki, Toyama Satsuki."

"Meiou Setsuna."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Meiou-san."

"Please, call me Setsuna." The green-haired woman nursed her glass for a moment, letting the cool liquid refresh her parched throat. "Please, this may sound strange, but what's the date?"

"January 12th, why?"

"What year?"

"1996." The woman looked slightly worried. "Are you sure you're all right? I had a doctor check you out, but he couldn't find anything wrong with you. Maybe you should go to the hospital? You didn't just fall over unconscious for three days for no reason."

"No need," Setsuna waved her off. "Thank you for taking me in. I imagine some rather…nasty things could have happened to me if you hadn't found me."

"Oh, it's no problem." Satsuki smiled. "Is there anything else I can do for you, Setsuna-san?"

"I'm fine." Setsuna smiled. Three days after the date she'd targeted, and she was still alive. Good. That meant that her counterpart from this time had taken her place in dying from the magic of the spell. "I really don't want to impose on you any more, Satsuki-san," she told the woman. "Since the doctor said there was nothing wrong with me, I probably should be fine to go."

"But-"

"To the hospital to get myself checked out again," Setsuna finished. She felt a little guilty about lying to the person who'd saved her, but time was at a premium. She had less than a month to find Ranma, and enlist his help.

"Oh, well, then." Satsuki smiled, and produced a set of clothing. "You can borrow my clothes, then. I'm a little less…well-endowed, but I think it should fit you."

"Why-" Setsuna quickly realized why her host was offering the clothing when the blanket slid off of her, revealing her naked body. "What happened to my clothes?"

"I'm afraid They were completely in tatters. Too bad, it seemed like a nice skirt-suit, too." Satsuki shrugged. "That's why I called a doctor at first. I thought you'd been, you know."

"I see. Thank you very much." Setsuna smiled as the other woman excused herself to let her get dressed, but internally she was ready to scream in frustration. Ranma hadn't been very forthcoming when he met the Senshi for the first time – understandable, when considering that the first time he met any of them, it was when Sailor Mars was fighting his mother. Without the Dragon's Whisker to back up her story, convincing him to help would be difficult at best.

Then again, he didn't know them yet, so any animosity that may have existed hadn't come to be yet. Still, without proof, convincing him to help the future murderers of his mother and family wouldn't be easy. But first things first. She needed to know the status on herself. How her other self had disappeared, and how the Senshi reacted to it. Plus, she'd have to gauge the Senshi's situation and battle-readiness, somehow prepare them for what was to come without turning them into the monsters they had ultimately become in the future.

And then she could set about finding Ranma. Well, she sighed, at least she knew where he lived.

* * *

The crowd Setsuna teleported into might as well have been a scene from a girl's sleepover instead of a war council that the Senshi meetings were supposed to be. No one seemed to notice her entrance, with everyone too engrossed in the argument that was dominating the discussion.

Until she cleared her throat. Nine pairs of eyes – two of them feline – turned towards her. When no one spoke after a few seconds, Setsuna frowned. "What?"

"Setsuna! You're alive!" Usagi cried, enveloping the taller woman in a bear hug.

"Why wouldn't I be?" _Maybe because my other self _is_ dead, but they don't need to know that,_ she thought.

"What happened? We saw you just…fading out of existence three days ago! Where where you?"

Setsuna turned towards Haruka to reply to her housemate's question. "Apparently, I was being dragged back to the Time Gate."

"'Apparently'?" The blonde woman countered. "From the way you looked it seemed like you didn't know what was happening to you."

"I didn't," Setsuna replied cooly. "The Gates have a recall spell that I didn't know about. I spent three days doing maintenance work on the Gate." And she even managed to make it sound disdainful. All those years of manipulations were coming in handy now.

"Well, we're glad you're all right!" Usagi squealed, and released her hold on her.

"Thank you, princess. While I was there, my future self came to warn me. There's a new enemy approaching, this one very powerful. We should be on our guard, your highness."

"We can handle it." Haruka dismissed the warning with a wave of her hand. "After the Darkmoon family and Chaos, there isn't anything else that could possibly be hard."

"That exact attitude is _exactly_ what cost us in the future I was warned about," Setsuna snapped. "We're not ready. In fact, we're everything _but_ ready. This new enemy is more dangerous than Chaos ever was."

"I'm sure you mean well, Setsuna," Michiru tried to calm her friend, "but aren't you exaggerating a bit? I mean, Metallia was very powerful, and Chaos was even worse. To be honest, I find it difficult to believe that there's a more powerful enemy out there."

The green-haired woman fixed her housemate with a glare. "Have I ever exaggerated, Michiru? Let me make this perfectly clear. If we aren't ready for this enemy, we are going to _die_."

Gasps erupted around the room, and Setsuna noticed with satisfaction that she seemed to have gotten through to them. Until Haruka snorted and broke out into laughter.

"Good one, Setsuna. You had us going for a minute, there! Good to see you've been working on it, but seriously, your humor needs more work."

"It wasn't a joke."

Haruka continued to laugh. "Seriously, if they're so powerful, we can just have Hotaru _Death Reborn_ their asses."

Setsuna sighed. She didn't even know _what_ it had taken to defeat their enemy, who she had only known by the name Kaiser, but from what she knew, when Ranma and his friends had taken him on, he'd ended up killing most of the premier martial artists of Nerima, as well as the best fighters from the Amazon, Musk, and Phoenix tribes of Jusenkyo Valley in China, who had rallied against them. Ranma and Ryoga were the only two who had come out of that battle alive. Considering the ease with which those two had taken out the Senshi, it must have taken a significant amount of firepower to destroy Kaiser.

"Listen, you arrogant little bitch!" Setsuna's voice was quiet, but the chill in her tone and the harshness of her words caused the entire room to fall silent, eyes wide in shock over her use of such language. Before all of this, Setsuna would have never lost her temper – her control over her emotions was too good for that. But the destruction she had witnessed, one of their own making, had shattered that resolve, especially knowing that they were in the wrong.

"What did you call me?" Haruka rose from her seat, eyes blazing with anger.

"You heard me. Your attitude is what is going to get us all killed. I, for one, am _not_ going to sit around and wait to die just because _you_ screwed up big! The warning, the _threat_, is real. If you can't see that, then maybe you shouldn't be here!" Setsuna easily blocked the heated punch Haruka had thrown at her. "You just proved my point."

"Why you…"

Setsuna turned to look at the other Senshi gathered around the room. "I suggest you prepare for the enemy's arrival." Not bothering to give them a second glance, Setsuna walked out of the door.

"Setsuna!" Usagi's voice called after her, causing her to stop. "Where are you going?"

"To prepare, princess."

"I can't believe I just lost my temper like that," Setsuna muttered as she walked down the streets of Juuban ward. It had been more than five millennia since she last swore at someone, and even longer since she'd actually managed to provoke one of her friends into almost striking her.

Then again, the last few weeks had changed her – even more than the fall of the Silver Millennium had. But there was no denying that it had felt _good _to vent. Haruka hadn't done anything, of course – yet. But that didn't change the fact that if she and Rei especially didn't change, then all of them were going to go down a path she wouldn't wish on her worst enemy.

It felt good to let out all the frustration and helplessness she had felt during that time, when she had watched the Senshi die around her and battled an enemy she knew was morally right. If the Senshi continued to develop as they had, then Ranma and Ryoga had done the world a favor stopping them. They'd become cold-hearted bastards who'd do anything just to win. And that "everything" included civillian casualties, collateral damage, and, more often than not, the easy way instead of the right way of doing things.

Of course, Setsuna knew that she'd thrown the other Senshi for a loop with her behavior. _They're probably wondering if I've been taken over by a pod person, or something,_ she thought with a wry smile. They might even decide that with her acting as loopy as she had at the meeting, they couldn't trust her judgement. Even if they did, Haruka and Rei would be difficult to convince, at the very least.

But that was something to worry about later. She still had to prevent the tragedy that had started all of this. She couldn't count on the Senshi alone to stop their new enemy – thinking like that was what had caused most of their problems in the first place. It was time to find her worst enemy. It was time to find Saotome Ranma. Turning around to see if anyone was watching, Setsuna summoned the Time Key and teleported to Nerima.

* * *

It was a nice place, Setsuna thought. Of course, the only other time she'd actually seen it was after Uranus had levelled the place. _Tendo Dojo of Martial Arts. Challengers to beat the master in gruesome and bloody combat, please use the back door and ring the bell._

Setsuna stared at the sign for a moment before deciding that it was for real. It was too ridiculous to _not_ be for real. She took a moment to decide on how to best approach the young martial artist, but the choice was taken out of her hand when a length of chain wrapped around her waist and she felt herself being pulled upwards to land roughly on top of the wall. A male voice shouted, "Saotome, you fiend, I've finally got you!"

Before Setsuna could protest the treatment, the chain was severed and loosely fell to the ground. Setsuna blinked in surprise when another male voice she remembered all too well screamed in return.

"Mousse, at least put your glasses on, you dumb duck! You could've hurt her!" The green-haired woman blinked as her attacker was whisked off the top of the wall and slammed into the ground. In his place stood the person she'd been looking for, leg still extended in a kick. He glanced down at her, and shrugged apologetically. "Sorry about that. That guy never learns to put his glasses on."

Down below, the myoptic amazon was throwing chains and shuriken in random directions. "Saotome! Come back and fight me like a man!"

Ranma leapt down with a sigh, and slapped the other young man on the back of his head. "Put your goddamn glasses on."

"Oh, there you are." Mousse rearranged the coke-bottle glasses on his nose and nodded. "Now _die_!"

The amazon was skilled, Setsuna had to admit that. Add to that the fact that he seemed to be pulling almost unlimited quantities of weapons from the sleeves of his robes, and he made for a rather dangerous opponent. Ranma, on the other hand, was in a whole different league. She knew that, having fought him herself on multiple occasions, and the way he danced around his rival's attacks only confirmed that – most of the Senshi in her time had believed the martial artists of Nerima to be inconsequential threats, and later, when that had been proven wrong, they had believed that the only reason they'd gotten so powerful was that they were so driven by the thirst for revenge that they practically sold their souls for power.

Setsuna knew that wasn't true. All of the skill and power of these people was their own, there was no denying that. As it was, without the extensive year-long training that Ranma and Ryoga had gone through to prepare themselves in her time, Ranma could probably take down any one or two of the Senshi by himself before being overpowered. Key word being _power_. Ranma had more than enough skill to take out all of the Senshi, but whatever he'd done on that training trip with Ryoga had boosted his stamina and power to a point where a fight with the Senshi was more than even.

Mousse fell rather quickly, especially after making the mistake of involving her, and she found herself staring as Ranma dusted off his hands, muttering that he hoped Ryoga wouldn't show up, as well. The pigtailed martial artist finally seemed to remember about her, and turned around to properly greet her.

"Uh, hi," he said, "sorry about that. It's kinda dangerous to hang around here."

"So I noticed," Setsuna noted dryly.

"Who're you, anyway? You must've been right in front of the gate for Mousse to have snatched you."

"I've been looking for you." She could see his eyes widening in surprise and suspicion.

"You're not another fiancee, are you?"

Setsuna shook her head. "No. I just wanted to talk to you."

"About?"

Her personal precognition kicked in, causing her to space out for a moment. \

_Flash._

_A boy wearing a black and yellow bandanna bursting through the wall. A girl with short blue-black hair hammering Ranma into the air, cursing his name._

The wall behind Ranma crumbled into dust the instant her eyes snapped back open, and she released a point-blank _Dead Scream_ into the lost boy. Despite the fact that she was in civillian mode, and only had a token access to her planetary powers, the blast was powerful enough to send Ryoga flying back the way he'd come, ensuring that he'd get lost before he made it back to the hole he'd made in the wall.

"In private." Setsuna smiled, as if she was talking about the weather.

"I know a place. You should be able to keep up." Ranma could apparently sense the underlying seriousness, and leapt up, alighting on the roof. He glanced down to make sure she was keeping up, then took off in the direction of the park.

* * *

Internally, he was still reeling from the shock that the woman Mousse had unintentionally snatched with his chain had just blown Ryoga clear through the way he came from, but upon a deeper probe, he could feel that she had tremendous amounts of power at her disposal. Most of it was carefully hidden, but that single spike as she accessed it had been enough to give him a brief reading. He didn't know how powerful she really was, but when she said she'd wanted to talk, he was intrigued. Especially since she didn't seem to be a fiancee, or someone his father had screwed over in the past.

He headed to the park across the rooftops, somehow knowing that she could keep up, but he hadn't expected her to be there before him. It also occurred to him that he hadn't seen her pass him, which meant she either knew a shorter roof, or had somehow teleported. Both implied she knew where he was headed, which set off warning bells in his mind. He leapt from the last roof, and landed next to her without making a sound.

She didn't speak for almost a minute, and he took the time to look her over. Long green hair flowed down her back, and she appeared to be in her mid-twenties, with an odd shade of red eyes. Her business suit was immaculate, even after whatever it was she'd done to get here so quickly.

"Who are you?" He finally asked.

He could see the mental debate occurring behind her crimson eyes. "My name is Meiou Setsuna."

"And?"

"And I need your help."

"My help? Why?"

The woman – Setsuna – sighed. "It's a long story."

Ranma chuckled. "Story of my life. You've got about twenty minutes before someone notices I'm missing, and another fifteen before Nabiki figures out I'm in the park."

"In short, I'm a magical girl fighting evil demonic invaders that want to conquer the world. I know a new enemy is coming that me and my friends cannot possibly handle on our own, and I've come to ask for your help."

"Rehearse that much?" Ranma arched an eyebrow, causing Setsuna to smile.

"Yes, actually." It was Setsuna's turn to sigh. "You're not surprised I claim to be a magical girl?"

"Not really. I've seen weirder things, and it'd explain why I can't get a clear reading on your power level." Ranma shrugged. "There's this aura around you that reminds me of some of Cologne's artifacts."

"I see." Setsuna patted the bank next to her, and he took the invitation to sit down. "I think a full explanation is in order." Upon seeing his nod, she continued. "A month from now, this new enemy is going to appear, and without help, the Sailor Senshi are going to suffer a string of defeats. Those defeats are going to cause their attitude to change drastically – they'll end up doing whatever it takes to kill the enemy. This will cause massive amounts of collateral damage."

"How do you know all of this?"

Setsuna smiled wryly. "Let's just say I've seen the future, and it isn't pretty."

"Okay, I can live with that."

"The casualties in the Senshi's prolonged war with this evil force, which I only know of as 'Kaiser,' will ultimately include your mother, and almost the entire Tendo family." Setsuna held her breath after that statement, waiting for his reaction.

Ranma's face was expressionless, but she could tell he was considering the validity of her explanation carefully. "If what you say is true…why come to me? Why not simply train your comrades to fight better?"

"They won't listen." Setsuna told him grimly. "They believe that they can handle anything this new enemy throws at them, but they're dead wrong. In the end, you and your friends end up taking on Kaiser. I only know that you manage to defeat him, but that it cost the lives of every one of your friends and family, as well as that of the Joketzusoku amazons, the Phoenix, and the Musk to do it. The only survivors are you and Ryoga. After a year of training, you decide to come after the Senshi to stop them. By that time we'll have become nothing more than indiscriminate killers who destroy anything in their way under the guise of protecting mankind. Eventually, you'll kill us all."

"So, what do you want from me?"

"I want your help. I want to – no, I _need_ to prevent this from happening. When Kaiser comes, someone needs to be ready for him, and I'm afraid the Senshi won't be." Setsuna placed a hand on his shoulder. "The truth is, I am from that future. I lived through it. I've seen the destruction in it. I've watched you kill my friends…and the worst part was, you were right in doing it. But for some reason you didn't kill me. You gave me a second chance. A chance to fix all of this. So, I'm asking you, please help me."

Ranma thought about it for a moment. If what she said was true – and he had no doubts that she at least believed it to be true – then from what it sounded like they had to prepare for an all-out war. The fact that she had stated his mother and the Tendos were in danger factored in, as well, and he was left with only a single choice. "So, what do you want me to do?"

"I need you to train, and prepare. Yourself, me, and whoever you can convince to help," Setsuna explained. "I hope that eventually, the rest of the Senshi will come around…but if they don't, we may need to be prepared to stop them, as well."

"You're asking me to fight a war."

"In essence, yes."

"Why should I believe you?"

Setsuna had anticipated that question. In fact, she was surprised it hadn't come sooner, but without the Dragon's Whisker his future self had given her, she had no answer. "There's no reason for you to, except my word." She could feel his scrutiny as he considered her words.

Finally, after a minute of silence, he nodded. "All right."

Setsuna smiled. "Thank you," she whispered.


	3. Chapter Two

**Author's Note:** Well, it took me a bit longer to come up with some of the next stuff, but I think I got some ideas going pretty well. I hope I can put up the next chapter soon. Anyway, enjoy the chapter!

Chapter Two

When Ranma returned home that evening, Akane was waiting for him, mallet in hand, demanding to know where he'd been. The fathers were lamenting about him neglecting his duties towards his fiancee again, and Nabiki was saying something or other – most likely an attempt at extorting money in exchange for her silence once again.

But the pigtailed martial artist didn't hear any of it. He didn't notice as he mechanically deflected Akane's angry blow when he ignored her, didn't notice as he tossed his father into the koi pond as he attempted to block his way. His mind was awash with questions about his encounter with the strange womanearlier.

He walked straight into his room and laid down, but sleep didn't come to him. _Why was I so quick to say yes?_ The question circled around in his mind. _And why did I believe her? She could be some lunatic off the street. Yeah, right. No lunatic can throw energy blasts strong enough to KO Ryoga._

Her warning also hit close to home. The possibility that his friends and family could be targeted, or just victimized while he was not around was something he had considered, but not really taken seriously until now. After all, Genma was a master martial artist, and Soun and Akane could hold their own in an emergency. Ryoga and Mousse may be his rivals, and occasionally went too far, but when there was danger to any of the Tendos, they would be quick to help.

But that wouldn't do them any good if the entire house was blown up with them inside.

_She's right. We have to stop this before it starts._ His decision, he realized, had been made for him. There was really no other choice, if he wanted to make sure his family and friends were safe. A glance at the clock told him it was three in the morning. _Good. Everyone should be asleep._ He rose from his futon. Since his father hadn't joined him in their guest room, he assumed that he'd passed out drunk downstairs whining about how ungrateful Ranma was.

The pigtailed martial artist quickly packed his meager belongings into his travel-worn backpack, then scribbled a hasty note for the Tendos to find in the morning. By the time he was climbing out of the window, it occurred to him that he had no idea where to find Setsuna. He dismissed the thought, and decided that distancing himself from the Tendo home was the most important thing to do. The park would do for the night. Then he could set about finding a place to train and prepare.

* * *

"I thought I might find you here."

Ranma opened his eyes slowly, blinking at the sunlight. Nabiki's face swam into focus above him, and he shot upright. "What're you doing here?"

"I ask the questions, Saotome. You answer. No?" Nabiki's voice held a trace of humor; ever since the battle with Saffron, the middle Tendo daughter had warmed up to him a little. They'd even gotten as far as sharing little jokes – mostly centered around him helping out Kasumi with the household chores.

"Depends. What's your silence going to cost me?"

"About this?" Nabiki dangled his letter from last night in front of his face. "Nothing. All I want to know is why."

Ranma shrugged, deciding to go with a bluff. "It says on there. Training trip."

"Level with me here, Saotome." Nabiki put down the paper and sat down next to him. "I know I haven't been very nice to you, but I thought I'd earned your trust."

"I do trust you. I always trusted you, Nabiki," Ranma muttered. "You may have used me to make a quick buck, but I could always trust and count on you – for a price."

"So explain this to me, Ranma. You don't pack up all of your earthly belongings for a training trip. You don't sneak out in the middle of the night."

A wry smile crossed his face. "Nothing gets past you, eh?"

"Didn't get this far by letting them."

Ranma threw off the blanket and rummaged around in his backpack, tossing her a campstove. Without hesitation, Nabiki set it up while Ranma fetched the required utensils for fixing breakfast. After a minute, water was boiling in a pot over the stove, and Ranma poured the staming water into their cups of instant ramen. Once they both had their food ready, he sighed and began to explain.

"Met a girl who's in trouble, she asked for my help to defeat a super-powered enemy, and told me that if I don't, everyone I love is going to die."

"Sounds familiar," Nabiki said.

"It should. Story of my life."

"Now the non-director's cut version."

Ranma carefully chewed on a mouthful of noodles before replying. "I was fighting Mousse yesterday. He accidentally caught some girl with his chain, so I beat down his ass." The martial artist shrugged. "You'd think he'd learn to put his glasses on before trying to attack me."

"Go on."

"She said she wanted to talk. I dunno why, but for some reason I know she was serious, and that I needed to listen to what she had to say."

"I assume you took her here?"

Ranma chuckled. "Looks like I need to find a new hiding place."

"You know I'm just going to find it within a day,' Nabiki countered with a smile.

"Yeah. Anyway, when we got here, she told me…things. That she'd seen the future, and that she needed help, or a lot of people were going to die. Pretty morbid stuff."

"My, using big words. You snuck a look at the thesaurus lately?"

Ranma waved off Nabiki's comment with a smile. "Anyway, she told me that some of the first casualties…will be Mom. And you guys. I can't have that."

"And you believe this woman?"

"My gut says to trust her. And my gut's brought me this far."

"Yeah, and look at the mess that's your life."

"At least I'm still alive."

"Good point."

"I need to train. I need to get stronger. The letter wasn't entirely a lie – this _is _a training trip. I can't have the distractions of school and Akane and Pops while I'm training. Something tells me this is gonna be important – real important." Ranma shrugged. "I dunno if I make sense, but that's what she told me."

"I see." Nabiki looked thoughtful for a moment. "How exactly are you going to train? And how long do you have?"

"Less than a month, according to her. And I don't know yet. I'm working on that."

"By sleeping the day away, obviously."

"Hey!"

"Just kidding." Nabiki held up a hand to placate him. "I know you take this very seriously. I'm just wondering, how do you expect to keep all the lunatics from finding you?"

"I was kinda hoping you wouldn't tell?" Ranma chuckled nervously and scratched the base of his pigtail.

"Oh, Ranma," she sighed. "You know they're going to find you eventually, with or without me."

"You've got a point there."

"That's why he's not staying here," a new voice said, causing both of them to turn around. Nabiki had never seen the woman before, but the recognition in Ranma's eyes told her this was the source of his information.

"I don't believe we've been introduced," Nabiki told the older woman curtly.

"Indeed. Meiou Setsuna."

"Tendo Nabiki. A pleasure."

"Likewise."

The two women stared at each other for a long minute, causing Ranma to squirm in discomfort. "Uh…Nabiki? Setsuna-san?"

The two turned to him in tandem, chuckling with amusement as he shrank back from their combined stares. Nabiki finally turned to Setsuna again. "I suppose if he trusts you, then that's good enough for me. Ranma's never wrong in these things."

"So, what do we do now, Setsuna-san?" Ranma asked the green-haired woman.

"I'm going to show you what we're up against, today." Setsuna explained, a grim expression on her face.

"I thought the attack wasn't going to happen until a month from now?"

Setsuna nodded. "That's right. I'm going to show you what, best case, are going to be your allies. Worst case, they'll be your enemies."

"What about you?" Nabiki asked.

"Mine as well, if it should come to that." Setsuna prided herself on the fact that she didn't choke up on that. Just saying it was tantamount to betraying the other Senshi and turning her back on what had been her duty and family more than fifteen thousand years ago, but to prevent history from repeating itself, she would take up arms against them. She just prayed to any god that would listen that it wouldn't be necessary. Nabiki seemed satisfied with her answer, and Setsuna returned her attention to Ranma. "I'm taking you to meet the Senshi, and I hope that it'll show them that they need help. Desperately."

"Wait a minute! _The_ Sailor Senshi?" Nabiki shouted incredulously.

Setsuna nodded. "Yes."

"How could you even _think_ to consider them enemies? They're, like, national heroes!" Nabiki exclaimed, "I mean, they're the ultimate guardians of love and justice!"

"Simple." Setsuna's face darkened. "They've become so complacent that any new threat is viewed as inconsequential and easily defeated. When they, in turn, are defeated, things will escalate to the point that they may very well end up as the 'bad guys.'"

"How do you know that?" Nabiki's eyes narrowed in suspicion. When Setsuna refused to answer, the brunette drew her own conclusion. "Either you've got a _very_ big grudge against them, or you're one of them. Either way, I want to see why you think they could even remotely classified as enemies."

"Nabiki-" Ranma began, before she cut him off sharply.

"This isn't about making money, Ranma. I want to make sure things are as she says they are." Her eyes softened as she looked at the pigtailed martial artist. "I know you mean well, but I want to make sure she does, too."

"Well…all right," Ranma finally conceded. "When do we head over?"

"As soon as you both can be ready." Setsuna sighed. She wasn't even going to try to contend Nabiki's claim to come along. If the girl was anything now like she was in the future, arguing with her would result in a bigger headache than would simply taking her along. Many things could be said about Tendo Nabiki, but when she wanted something, then she _got_ it. The campsite was packed up within minutes, and Setsuna found herself teleporting both of her passengers over to the Hino shrine.

* * *

The teleport and walk up the stairs to the Hino shrine passed peacefully – unless one counted Nabiki getting violently sick from the teleport and Ranma needing a full minute and a half to recover from the dizziness of instant relocation. Unfortunately, the instant the trio entered the door to the shrine, Setsuna was besieged with questions and glares. The Senshi were in their civillan mode, and if the traces of conversation she had heard from the outside were any indication, they hadn't believed her warning from the day before.

"You again."

Setsuna met Haruka's glare evenly, ignoring the hostility in the blonde's tone, as she walked into the room, Ranma and Nabiki in tow. The room went silent, and all eyes were riveted on the two people who'd accompanied the green-haired Senshi of time.

"Setsuna?" Usagi finally broke the silence.

"Your highness, as a precaution for the coming battles, to ensure that we are victorious and are able to protect Earth and its people to the best of our abilities, I have sought this young man's help." Setsuna formally bowed before the younger woman. "I ask that you reconsider my warning regarding the coming threat, and that you allow me to help you prepare for the battles to come."

"I…" Usagi was at a loss for words for a moment at the formality of Setsuna's speech. "Thank you, Setsuna."

"Are you _crazy_?" Rei burst out from the side. "You dumb meatball head, she just gave us away! Do know have _any_ idea what this means? Any lunatic off the streets could be attacking us now!"

"Let them, I'll teach them not to mess with us." Haruka cracked her knuckles. "But she's got a point. Something's obviously wrong with Setsuna. She's always so bossy about telling us to be careful, and now she brings two complete strangers here and just declares who we are. Tell me, Setsuna, have you lost your freaking mind?"

"Rei! Haruka!" Usagi's voice cut through their rants like a knife through butter. Both Senshi stared in shock at their princess, unused to the commanding tone and authority she had just displayed. "I'm sure she meant well. Setsuna, I'm sorry. We should have taken your warning yesterday seriously. I know you've never lied to us before, and you have no reason to start now." The bonde girl glanced over at Ranma and Nabiki. "It saddens me to see that you felt so let down by us that you had to seek outside help."

Setsuna allowed herself a small smile. "Not at all, your highness. But the warning still applies. Even if we are prepared, I'm afraid it won't be enough. That's why I asked this young man for help."

"We don't need no stinkin' help!" Haruka bristled.

"We will." Setsuna fixed her housemate with a penetrating glare that shut her up quickly. _Fifteen thousand years. I've still got it_, she thought with a hidden smile. "We need all the help we can get."

"And what makes you so certain that a few kids could make a difference?"

Setsuna restrained her tongue, having to hold herself back from telling Haruka, _Ranma could fight circles around you any day. That's what got you killed the first time around._ "Ranma here is more than capable of taking care of himself."

"Oh yeah?" Haruka sneered.

"Yeah." Ranma had finally had enough of being talked about in the third person. The pigtailed martial artist pushed past Setsuna to glare down at the blonde woman who was dismissing his skills.

"Prove it."

Usually, Ranma wasn't one to back down from a challenge, and this time was no different. Setsuna's hand on his shoulder stopped him from accepting the challenge, however, and the green-haired woman's voice prevented any answer. "Ranma did not come here to fight us, he came here to fight _with_ us."

"What's he gonna do, cower in fear in front of a youma?" Haruka grinned. "Some help this guy is gonna be."

Ranma was about to retort, when Setsuna shook her head almost unnoticeably, then turned around. "I don't need your permission, Haruka. Usagi?"

The younger blonde was blinking in confusion, clearly unsure of what to do. Ami answered for her by asking, "How much do they know?"

"We know enough, Sailor Mercury." Nabiki smirked at the girl's shocked expression. "We know that the Senshi claim to come from an advanced civilization in the distant past that originally ruled over the Solar System, but was destroyed in a civil war. You're all reincarnated versions of the people back then, except…" Nabiki jabbed a finger at Setsuna. "Guardian Pluto here."

Setsuna really shouldn't be surprised. Especially not after witnessing what Nabiki was capable of in her timeline, but she was still shocked to find out the middle Tendo daughter already knew that much about them. It was no wonder she was such a potent ally to Ryoga and Ranma during their vendetta, despite being a noncombatant. She barely managed to hide her surprised expression.

"I…see." Ami blinked in surprise. "May I take a scan of you, then?"

Nabiki shared a glance with Ranma, and the pigtailed boy shrugged, but his eyes conveyed a clear message to her. _Stay close. They try anything funny, and it's kapowie to the moon._ The girl nodded her head imperceptibly, and Ranma replied for both of them. "Go ahead."

The Mercury Computer's visor appeared over Ami's eyes, despite Rei's protests, and after a few seconds, the laptop-sized computer followed. The blue-haired girl finished her analysis seconds later, and the equipment vanished again. Her expression was confused when she turned to Setsuna. "I don't understand. They're extremely low on the powerlevels. There's a faint trace of magic about the boy, but that wouldn't be enough to light a candle. The girl's in similar physical shape as Makoto or Rei, but there's no power behind her, either." Ami shrugged helplessly, clearly wishing she was conveying better news. "I don't see how they can be of _any_ help."

"Well, we could start with the fact that he looks like my old sempai," Makoto giggled, but a quick elbow to her ribs from Rei caused the brunette to glare at the Senshi of Mars.

"This is a serious breach of our security. We can't just have them walking around knowing who we are, they're too dangerous with that knowledge." Rei turned towards Usagi. "Come on, you heard Ami. They can't do anything. Setsuna's wrong. Admit it!"

Usagi shook her head, clearly not convinced to give up on the Senshi of Pluto's claim yet. "Are you sure you didn't miss anything, Ami-chan? Setsuna wouldn't have brought them here without good reason."

"The Mercury Computer's scan is _complete_. It's thorough, and absolute. I'm sorry, Usagi-chan, but if it says there's nothing to them, then there isn't."

"I told you. She's lost it! I mean, when's the last time you ever heard her swear?" Haruka snorted.

"No, I don't think so." Usagi somehow managed to silence the Senshi of Uranus with a glare. "Setsuna's warnings have always been real, and the fact that she even bothered to look outside for help makes me think she believes this is very serious."

"Some help," Haruka sneered.

"Ami, I know for _certain_ that the Mercury Computer missed vital information in your scan," Setsuna said quietly.

"No, Setsuna, that's impossible. It's not reading anything on them."

"There are things that are beyond the Link's ability to detect."

"You don't understand, Setsuna. The Mercury Computer contains all the knowledge of the Silver Millennium. If it's not in its database, then it doesn't exist," Ami replied.

"Setsuna, Ami-chan, please, calm down," Usagi stood and placed a hand on each of their shoulders. "Setsuna, please explain why you brought them here. You must have had _some_ reason."

"I do, Usagi." Setsuna shook her head. "All I can say at this point is that this young man is probably going to be our salvation."

"How? By being utterly useless?" Rei cut in. "Usagi should just use the Silver Crystal to purge their memories, we can handle this new enemy on our own."

"I think she's right." Minako spoke for the first time. The girl had been unusually quiet, despite being faced with a handsome boy, but the argument between the rest of the Senshi had dampened her mood. "Ami says they can't be of any help, and in a fight they'd just be a liability."

"You'd be surprised," Setsuna muttered under her breath, but her own hand clamped down on Ranma's shoulder in an attempt to restrain the pigtailed martial artist from loosing his temper.

"I don't know, Setsuna-mana has always been right," Hotaru glanced between her adoptive parents. "Haruka-papa, can't we just let them try? It wouldn't hurt, would it?"

"You don't get it, Hotaru-chan. Ami says there's no way in hell they're anywhere close to being _able_ to help."

"But-"

"No, Hotaru. They're going to die."

The youngest girl slumped in defeat, but she caught Setsuna's grateful look. She didn't like the fact that her adoptive parents were fighting – and considering Haruka's mood last night after Setsuna had left the meeting, it had gone well beyond arguing – but she could understand Setsuna's concern. She could also understand Haruka's problem with it, which is why she couldn't understand why those two couldn't just compromise.

Makoto leaned back in her chair as she watched the argument unfold. There was something nagging at the back of her mind that had been there ever since Setsuna had introduced the two she had brought along. _Ranma…Ranma…where have I heard that name before?_

"Look, if you'd just _listen_ for one bloody minute-" Ranma's voice was drowned out when Haruka began arguing with him anew.

"This is pointless," Nabiki told finally told him.

"No kidding. This is worse than Nerima. At least, people there let you _speak_, even if they don't listen."

_Nerima._ Things fell into place for Makoto. The brunette leapt up from her seat in recognition. "You're Saotome Ranma!"

The argument ground to a halt at her shout. "No wonder Setsuna asked you," Makoto exclaimed.

"What do you mean, Mako-chan?" Ami produced the Mercury Computer again and searched for the name. Dozens of links popped up on her screen, way too much information to sort through for now.

"He's supposed to be like, some kind of martial arts god, or something," Makoto explained, "and there's stories about those martial artists in Nerima that are supposed to be able to do the impossible, like jumping up three stories straight, and moving faster than your eyes can see. Or break concrete with a finger."

"Yeah, right," Haruka snorted. "And what exactly were these people smoking when they came up with that?" At Makoto's glare, the blonde chuckled. "Oh, come _on_, Makoto. You don't seriously believe that _any_ human, no matter how good a martial artist, can jump twenty feet straight up? It's all a bunch of clever marketing and special effects, is all."

"Would you please calm down, everyone!" Usagi shouted over the talking, causing the room to fall silent again. The girl then turned towards Ranma. "Setsuna seems to put a lot of trust in you. Why is that?"

The pigtailed martial artist shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine."

"That sounds like Setsuna, all right," Usagi giggled. "What _can_ you do? We're going to be fighting some pretty powerful and strange things. I'm sure you understand, I don't want to get you involved and end up badly hurt."

Ranma nodded, but before he could answer, Setsuna spoke. "He can fight, and, more importantly, he can teach _us_ how to fight."

"Oh, that's a good one," Haruka chortled. "Teach _us_ how to fight? I think you've got more than a few marbles loose, Setsuna. What's this kid gonna teach us? We've been fighting for _years_!"

"I've been fighting since I could _walk_," Ranma said quietly. "Setsuna-san was right. You haven't listened to a word she's said."

"We have," Haruka sneered, "and we don't want your so-called _help_."

"Like it or not, from what she's told me, if I leave things to you, they're gonna go down the drain. I don't give a shit about what you want or don't want, but I'm not standing around while I watch you screw the world over because of your arrogance!" Ranma glared right back at the Senshi of Uranus, barely restraining himself from flaring his aura. He'd shown remarkable restraint thus far, knowing that he was in an unknown, possibly volatile situation and that, if the shit hit the fan, he'd have to protect Nabiki, as well, but this was it. "I personally don't give a freakin' damn about what you're gonna do – just don't get in my way."

With that, Ranma took Nabiki's hand and pulled the middle Tendo daughter outside. They were halfway down the stairs when Setsuna caught up with them. "That went well," the green-haired woman commented.

"About as well as a discussion with Ryoga," Ranma replied dryly.

"I think even Ryoga listens better than that, Ranma-kun."

Ranma arched a curious eyebrow. "Who're you and what have you done with the real Tendo Nabiki?"

"Oh, I just locked her up in her closet for today. I'm her evil twin." Nabiki giggled at his fish-out-of-the-water impression.

"What do you think?" Setsuna asked when they'd calmed down. The laughter had felt good. She hadn't laughed in…ages. Literally. For some reason, around the pigtailed martial artist, it was easy for her to loose control over her emotions. Anger, sadness, hatred, happiness…hope. For the first time since Kaiser's invasion in her own timeline, she felt hope, and it was because Ranma had agreed to help. Just the knowledge that one of her most bitter enemies had turned into an ally had lifted a weight off her shoulders, and the fact that he was one of the most honorable and dependable people she knew only added to that. It was what had made him such a dangerous enemy, and it was what made him such a valuable ally.

"Of them?" Ranma asked. When she nodded, he snorted in disdain. "If those are supposed to be my allies, we really don't need any enemies."

"No kidding," Nabiki added. "I'm surprised you kept your temper as long as you have, Ranma-kun. I've seen you blow up for less."

"I've been working on anger management." Ranma managed a straight face for all of two seconds before all three of them burst into laughter again.

Nabiki smirked. "It's been working, obviously. Maybe you should recommend your therapist to Ryoga."

"But he _is_ my therapy…"

"Punching bag, you mean."

"Same thing."

Setsuna cleared her throat. She hated to interrupt the friendly banter, but there were pressing matters at hand. She was surprised Ranma had so readily agreed to help, but when she considered the kind of person he'd been before the war with the Senshi, it didn't really come as a surprise. Before she could say anything, though, her personal precognition kicked in, though she couldn't pinpoint the exact time.

Flash.

_A battle, with the Senshi being driven back. Monstrous, five-legged creatures almost immune to magic spells advancing on the Senshi, buildings burning and crumbling around them._

When it faded, Setsuna gasped in shock and almost stumbled. She _knew_ that it was going to happen today. The intensity of the vision was so strong there could be no other alternative.

"Ranma, there's going to be a fight today. I don't know when, I just know it's going to be today." Setsuna desperately strained to catch glimpses of landmarks from her vision. "It's…somewhere in Juuban. I need you to be there. Please."

"That's kinda vague…"

"It's the best I can do. I'm sorry."

Ranma sighed. "I'll be there. Provided P-chan or someone else doesn't find me first."

"Thank you." Setsuna gave him one of her rare smiles. "I need to go. I'll see if I can't find out more about this threat." The Senshi of time didn't let on that the vision had scared her; it was an event she didn't remember, but it was similar enough to another event in her own past that made her fear for the worst.

She deliberately didn't let Ranma know that this was most likely going to be the battle that had been the turning point for the Senshi in her own timeline. Why it was occurring now, almost a month earlier, she didn't know, but it meant that all the work she had been planning to do to prepare was inconsequential. It also meant that they weren't ready yet, but their opponent had already begun reacting to their change in tactics. Someone was watching them. Things were happening, and they were happening _now_. Setsuna slipped away into the time stream to return to the Gate, leaving Ranma and Nabiki standing alone at the base of the Hino shrine.

"I've got a bad feeling about this…" Ranma muttered.

"Story of your life," Nabiki chuckled.


	4. Chapter Three

**Author's Note:** Here's a redone version of chapter three, with some things (like Ranma's gender) fixed and some of the dialogue redone to make a little more sense and tone down Nabiki.

Chapter Three

Ranma glanced over when Nabiki tugged at his sleeve, and he realized that she wanted him to follow. "Where're we going?"

"I know a good ice-cream place here in Juuban." Nabiki grinned. "You're buying."

"I am?"

"Yes. Consider it your payment for dragging me around all day."

Ranma sighed. "All right. But Nabiki – she said the battle could happen any moment today. She said it's in Juuban, so the instant something goes wrong, I want you to head back to Nerima. Or, if the action's too close to the station, I want you to head over to Mom's place, lock the doors, and make sure she's got her katana."

"My, aren't we bossy today?" Nabiki smirked, but her expression softened at the genuine concern in his eyes. "All right. I'll stay out of danger, I promise."

"Okay, so let's go get some ice cream!" Ranma grinned, pulled a bottle of water from his sleeve, and upended it over his head, turning into Ranma-chan.

Nabiki rolled her eyes. "You _still_ have to do that every time you go eat ice cream? Come on, how many times do we have to explain it to you, there's nothing unmanly about eating ice cream. Really."

"I know. It just tastes better this way."

"And you get free ice cream."

Ranma-chan winked at her. "That, too."

* * *

Nabiki's favorite ice cream parlor in Juuban wasn't going to remain so for long. Which had absolutely nothing to do with the quality of the ice cream, mind you, it was still as good from the first scoop as it had been the last. Rather, it had to do with the fact that by the time the two girls were done, the store would have to declare bankruptcy, caused by the counterboys who practically tumbled head over heels to serve the cute red-head and her sexy friend. Ranma discovered that, when properly motivated by competition, Nabiki apparently could turn up her considerable charm, as well, and between the two of them, they scored more than a few gallons of ice cream.

After the seventh double-fudge-triple-brownie-chocolate-mega-delight dish – a plate the store had had to create especially for Ranma-chan, which consisted of its namesake covering a good dozen scoops of ice-cream – Nabiki finally called it quits with a smirk. "After all," she said, "I want to be able to come back here. So no eating them out of home and house."

Reluctantly, Ranma had slowed down to properly enjoy the last of her ice cream. Nabiki had finished hers a long time ago, and had entertained herself by watching the shorter girl eat. When Ranma was finally on the last few spoonfuls of her ice cream, Nabiki finally changed the topic from the inane conversation they'd been making onto something more serious.

"Why didn't you fight?"

"What?" Ranma looked up from her ice cream.

"I could tell you wanted to fight that blonde woman. Usually you'd have taken her up on the challenge before anyone could yell 'challenge.' Why didn't you?" Nabiki's gaze was curious.

Ranma mumbled an answer.

"I didn't get that." Nabiki smirked.

"I said, I didn't want to get you involved. If I'd fought her, who knows what the others would've done. Worst case, it could have been eight on one, and you'd have been caught in the middle of it all. And," Ranma sighed, "I don't fight girls."

"You looked about ready to," Nabiki chuckled. "But it's nice to know you are so concerned about my safety."

"I know." Ranma shrugged. Ever since the battle with Saffron, she'd been thinking about a lot of things…the most dominant of which had been that he had to push himself further, to prevent future incidents from ever getting that far. That meant more training, and accepting that danger and enemies could come in any shape and sizes…even female. It was hard reconciling that – even when helped along by her mother – with the notions her father had drilled into her for more than a decade and a half.

"Don't think so hard, you'll break your wits."

"Wha-?" The pigtailed woman glanced up and noticed Nabiki's grin. The joke dawned on her, and she began to chuckle. They remained that way for a few moments, lapsing into silence.

"I don't trust her."

"Hmm?" Ranma blinked, then realized Nabiki had gone back into business mode.

"I don't trust her," Nabiki repeated. "She's too secretive. And that last one…it's too convenient, isn't it? I mean, an attack, where she's asking for your help, on the _same_ day that the others told her off? And then she just vanishes…presumably to 'investigate' this threat."

"What're you saying? That she's setting this all up?"

"No – not yet, anyway. I don't know. Maybe. It doesn't make a lot of sense."

Ranma grinned. "When did my life ever make sense?"

"True," Nabiki had to chuckle at that. "But I do think she's got a hidden motive that we don't know about. It could be dangerous. Maybe she's trying to play the other Senshi against themselves, or maybe she's trying to play you against them. Just…be ready for anything. You should be careful when you're dealing with her; I've heard some rather disturbing things about Pluto."

"Like what?"

"According to rumors, she's got access to an artifact called the 'Gate of Time.' I'm pretty sure it's just a story, but considering you're involved, I wouldn't discount its existence right away. With it she's said to be able to control time, as in she can go to the past, and change it, or see the future."

Ranma nodded. "She told me something like that. That she's actually from the future, and that they didn't manage to defeat the invasion in time there."

"Do you believe her?"

"That she can travel in time?" Ranma shrugged. "I don't know. She's got no reason to lie."

"Then why didn't she predict that they were going to fail the first time? Why even bother going back in time to fix it _after_ you fail when you can just do it before?"

"I don't know."

Nabiki frowned. "In fact, why bother coming to you at all? Why bother fighting enemies? With that kind of ability, she could just go back in time and destroy any threat before it _becomes_ a threat. Not to mention that she'd know what her enemy was going to do before they did, which would make fighting her almost impossibly hard."

"You sound like you expect that I'll have to fight her sometime."

Nabiki sighed. "There's more. According to a few statements of theirs, we seem to be in a critical phase for humankind, that only they can lead us through. They seem to think that because of the ideals of their 'Silver Millennium' they are morally superior to everyone else. They didn't say it quite that bluntly, of course." NOTE: FIX NABIKI KNOWING ABOUT CRYSTAL TOKYO AND RANMA IN FEMALE FORM

"That's good, isn't it?" Ranma furrowed her brow.

"It would be, think about it. What would happen if you wanted to have everyone follow your morals?."

"I'd…try and convince them that they're good?"

Nabiki nodded. "Exactly. And what would you do if you knew someone was wrong?"

"Uh…beat them up?"

"Close enough." The brunette girl smirked. "Anyway, what if you had enough power to _make_ everyone follow your morals? If you thought that it was in their best interest?" Nabiki didn't wait for Ranma to answer. "You _force_ them to do what you think is best."

"That's…" Ranma blinked in search for the right word. "Not good."

"No. It's only a theory, but history is shown that it can and has happened. All the prerequisites are met." Nabiki's eyes were hard. "Ranma-kun, I want you to be careful, all right? Promise me."

The pigtailed martial artist nodded. "All right." They lapsed into comfortable silence for a moment, before she spoke again. "Nabiki?"

"Yes?"

"Why are you being so nice to me?"

The middle Tendo daughter blinked in surprise at the question, before she realized what Ranma had meant. A small smile played around her lips, this one genuine. "You saved my sister's life, Ranma-kun," she said softly. It wasn't something she advertised publicly, but after finding out what exactly had happened at Jusendo, Nabiki had reevaluated her life, and discovered that she didn't like the direction she had been headed in. "You saved my sister, and my family."

"Aww, it was no big deal." Ranma shrugged. She saved Akane all the time, right?

"No, Ranma-kun, it _is_ a big deal. It is because this time Akane almost _died_. She didn't, thanks to you. But when I found out that you'd killed Saffron…really killed someone to save my sister-" Nabiki shrugged. Might as well tell him now. "I was afraid, at first. You killed a demi-god, for crying out loud! Then I realized that it wasn't just then, at that moment, that you became so powerful – you had been all along. If you'd wanted to take your revenge on all of us, you could have easily done it. But you're not the kind of guy who goes around killing little girls for revenge." Nabiki smirked at her horrified look, before she realized the compliment.

"You just proved my point, Ranma-kun. You're the kind and honorable type, the kind whose word I know I can trust and believe in. I realized that despite everything we'd done to you, you were still willing to help us when we needed it. Like it or not, that makes you family in my book, and not just because you're engaged to my sister, but because Kasumi and I consider you our little brother. And family takes care of their own." Nabiki sighed. It had taken her a lot of soul searching in the weeks after Jusendo to come to that conclusion, but in the end, she was glad that she had.

"Wow." Ranma blinked. "I never knew you thought that way."

"Now you do." The brunette girl smirked. "Of course, if you ever tell anyone I said this, I'll make your life hell. Capiche?"

Ranma grinned. "There's the Nabiki I know."

She was about to say more when she abruptly sat up straight, her eyes staring off into the distance.

"What's wrong?"

"Something…" Ranma blinked, trying to pinpoint it. She extended her senses over the building, but the feeling was gone. She spread out his ki across the entire block, and finally found what she had felt a moment earlier.

"What," Nabiki joked, "did you feel a disturbance in the Force?"

"Nabiki." Ranma's eyes narrowed. "Get out of here. Get to the train station, and take the next train back home." She pulled the thermos out of her sleeve again, dumping steaming hot over over her and turning back into a guy.

"What's going on?"

As if to answer, a plume of black smoke erupted two blocks away, and a concussive shockwave rattled the windows. "The shit just hit the fan," Ranma commented dryly. He pulled Nabiki out of her chair and through the door. "I need to go help. You head back home."

"All right. Be careful, Ranma-kun."

Ranma nodded, and waited until Nabiki had run around the corner, before taking a last look the way she had gone. "And Nabiki…thanks."

He took off at a dead run towards the explosion.

* * *

Setsuna cursed her luck the instant she teleported to the Time Gate. She'd been right, the attack _was_ happening now, and despite the fact that she fervently hoped that it was a random youma attack, it was the same vanguard force that had heralded Kaiser's invasion. Unfortunately, whereas she had been able to see this much, the Gate refused to show her anything more than the start of the battle.

Setsuna had a suspicion why – the chaos that shrouded Ranma was scrambling the probabilities for the future so badly that the Gates were unable to find any one most probably future. It was one of the things that had made tracking and defeating Ranma impossible in her timeline. That alone gave her hope, because it meant that the pigtailed martial artist was going to help them fight – the last time she'd witnessed this battle, she'd seen it play out before her through the Gate, but she had thought it inconsequential. The Senshi had been beaten back, and Mars badly injured, almost died, that first time around, until the Outers arrived to even the score. Still, they had only barely managed to beat the youma back into a retreat, and, weakened by its assault, they had let it get away – a fatal mistake that would come to haunt them later. In hindsight, that should have been their first clue that something was very, very wrong. Youma didn't retreat. They didn't use battle tactics.

She wasn't about to make this mistake again. The instant she felt she had a hold on the event, she teleported herself there. The scene was just as she remembered. The invading force was a single arachnoid youma, though it only had five appendages. Four were tipped in razor-sharp claws and wickedly hooked barbs and acted as legs, while the last one had a big pincer attached to it. Setsuna shuddered as she remembered one youma using it to snap a telephone pole in half and battering Uranus with it during a later battle.

It had come through a portal in the ground, crawling out of a pit where a ten-story office building had once stood. The magic release of the portal had annihilated the building, leaving a blackened crater; the creature was using its claws to scale the almost vertical walls. Venus had fallen into the crater during their first battle – the girl had had nightmares of the pit for weeks afterwards, of the broken bodies and body parts scattered around the bottom, which was so far down almost no light would reach. There was no way for humans to scale that pit, and the only reason they'd managed to get Venus out of there, was that Setsuna could teleport.

Three of the Senshi were already at the site, hurling energy blasts at the creature that was trying to pull itself out of the hole. Setsuna's blood froze when she realized that the same three people had come, the same three that had doomed her own past. Venus, Jupiter, and Mars. They were using the same tactics as they had back then, too, trying to cause the youma to loose its hold inside the pit and crash into the ground where it would be contained. Setsuna knew it was bound to fail. She tried to scream a warning, and wordlessly threw a _Dead Scream_ at the spot she knew the youma would land.

The creature heaved under the constant barrage of attacks, curling its legs underneath its massive body, and leapt out of the pit, clearing the next set of attacks the Senshi had hurled at it, and angled to come down right on top of Mars.

Setsuna's attack intercepted the creature, and tiny cracks began to from in its armor as the blast of condensed temporal flux hit it, but it didn't manage to deflect its course. The youma slammed down on Mars hard, driving the girl to the ground in an attempt to dodge the clawed legs. The Senshi of time broke out into a sprint to reach Mars before the youma's legs would eventually find their target, knowing she only had a split second before one of its legs was going to come down and impale her fellow Senshi through the stomach.

She barrelled into the youma, the shoulder ram taking it completely off-guard, and her momentum enough to rock it sideways, just barely enough to cause its claw to glance off Rei's ribcage instead of passing straight through her body. Setsuna suppressed a wince of pain as she was thrown aside by another leg, her right leg and arm punctured by the barbs on the youma's appendage. Her back hit a parked car, bringing her flight to a violent halt as she broke halfway through it and causing her vision to swim.

Venus and Jupiter tracked the youma on its flight path, but just as their previous attempts, their spells continued to bounce off of its armor. Setsuna's charge gave them hope, but when the youma merely swatted the elder Senshi aside without taking further notice of her, they held their breath for the inevitable.

Mars's scream of pain had echoed around the battlefield, and when Venus and Jupiter heard it, they had expected the worst, and had dropped their steady barrage to rush to their comrade's side, just in time to see the black-haired girl crawling away from under the youma, which had redirected its attention to them. A clawed leg rose into the air, aimed at her exposed back as Mars convulsed with pain from the deep gash in her side.

"_Oak Evolution_!"

"_Crescent Beam Shower_!"

The two attacks rang out simultaneously, bombarding the youma's carapace with beams of energy and razor sharp leaves. To their horror, though, the attacks, even at point-blank range, merely ricocheted off the creature's armor, and the only effect it had was to enrage it further.

Setsuna's vision cleared the second the creature's leg went down on Mars's back, and Setsuna pressed her eyes shut, unable to bear to look at her fellow Senshi's death once more. _What was I thinking, believing I could change history?_ The recrimination hit her harder than the blow from the youma – in her original timeline, Rei at least had survived her injuries. Now, by interfering, Setsuna had doomd her friend to death. _Way to go 'Suna-chan, get your friends killed _earlier.

The creature let out an ear-piercing shriek, and the a tremendous crack filled the air around them, followed by an angry shriek. Setsuna opened her eyes again, and stared in open-mouthed surprise as the youma futilely tried to impale or swat a black and red form zipping between its legs as it lured it away from the downed Rei. The second thing the Senshi of Pluto noticed was that the lower half of the youma's carapace was missing, and cracked and broken pieces of it were lying on the ground around Rei.

* * *

Hino Rei considered herself a veteran of this era's Sailor Senshi. While she didn't have her memories from the Silver Millennium, she and her fellow Inner Senshi nonetheless had lived through and won more battles against youma and evil maniacs who wanted to take over the world than she could count.

Sure, some of those times they'd come close to death – in some cases, they had even _died, _but they had always found a way to triumph over evil, always find a way to return victorious. Most importantly, they'd all managed to come back to life, some way or another. They'd given these battles their all, worked hard to get better at the job fate had settled them with, and Rei was proud of the fact that fighting was getting easier for them, all of them, even Usagi.

Youma that had almost killed them when they had started out now were nothing more than minor annoyances to them, and even more powerful foes, she was confident, they could take on, because of one simple fact: they had grown, not only in power, but also as a team. And Rei was damn proud of that fact.

So, when Setsuna announced that they needed help, the hot-headed Senshi of Mars had brushed it aside, and taken it as an affront to her abilities when the elder Senshi insisted that they were incapable of handling this new enemy that was supposedly coming. They had handled Galaxia, after all, and Metallia, and Beryl. After all, things had been quiet for almost a year, aside from the occasional youma attack. And those attacks were so pathetically easy to deal with that they more often than not only took one or two of the Senshi to handle.

When Setsuna had continued to proceed to enlist Ranma's help, Rei had been shocked; in one fell swoop, their oldest and wisest had violated two of her most cardinal rules: never tell anyone who their secret identities were, and never rely on someone else to deal with your problems. In fact, Setsuna had been acting so out of character since her sudden disappereance that Rei was tempted to agree with Haruka when the blonde had said that the Senshi of time had apparently lost it and was in dire need of a vacation.

After Setsuna's departure that day there had been a furious argument; Usagi, of course, was glad that they would have help – then again, their leader had never had a strong stomach for fighting, and Usagi was always glad for more help. But the Outers, Michiru and Haruka, as well as Rei and Makoto viewed things differently. They took pride in their accomplishments, and rightfully so – Setsuna had always warned them in time for a new attack, and, despite initial difficulties, they had always managed to triumph. That wasn't going to change now, especially not after they had reached the final and ultimate stage of their transformation, and Usagi had managed to tap into her power as the heir to the throne of Serenity.

Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury had taken longer to convince, but after Ami revealed that the two Setsuna had enlisted to help were normal humans who appeared to be unable to contribute to their firepower to any extent beyond that of conventional firearms – and those were exceedingly hard to come by in Japan – they, too, had joined the ranks of those who believed that they were better off dealing with this new threat alone…if it even existed.

Granted, Setsuna had never outright lied to them, but especially Ami's faith in Setsuna's infallibility had been shaken when the Senshi of Pluto had apparently been proved wrong. It wasn't that they distrusted her, Rei thought with a small amount of guilt, but more that they believed Setsuna was turning a mouse into an elephant, whether it was due to stress or some other unimaginable reason. And to be perfectly honest, that was fine with Rei. They were in a time of relative peace, and she was itching for a good fight, instead of youma that died the instant she threw a _Burning Mandala _at them.

The three of them were on their way to the mall when the explosion happened. Despite Setsuna's warning, they hadn't really expected the attack to happen so early, and initially they had thought that it was only a minor youma incursion. The aftermath of the explosion convinced them otherwise when an entire office building disappeared from Juuban's skyscape. Covered by the general panic that ensued, it was easy for the three of them to transform and cross the short distance to where the portal had opened.

The scene that greeted them caused Rei, Makoto, and Minako to stop in mute shock. Destruction of this magnitude hadn't been seen since Metallia. Even then, it had been the queens themselves – Metallia, Beryl, Galaxia – who had been the only ones powerful enough to cause this kind of devastation, not the individual youma.

A muted clicking sound drew their attention to the hole in the ground, and the first hairy, barbed, claw-tipped leg rose from the pit as the youma attempted to pull itself out. A second leg followed, the claws digging into the ground for purchase. As they heaved the massive torso out of the ground, Rei barely suppressed a gasp at the appeareance of the youma. The legs alone were at least ten feet in length, with two joints each, and a torso that would have dwarfed any tank the JSSDF could have thrown at it.

Her reflexes kicked in, honed by years of fighting similar creatures, but for some odd reason, as she screamed at her two teammates, "Open fire!" she felt a chill run down her spine. Their first barrage was encouraging as it ripped into the ground, and Mars watched with satisfaction as huge chunks of concrete and dirt exploded into the air. Besides her own _Burning Mandala_, Venus's _Crescent Beam_ and Jupiter's _Sparkling Wide Pressure_ hammered the youma as it attempted to climb over the edge, and sent the unprepared monster reeling.

When the monster caught itself, Venus shouted "Again!" and a second barrage slammed into the youma – this time, no dirt exploded around it, and all three could see to their horror at its thick, glistening black armor seemed to easily deflect their initial assault. This time, the youma seemed to have dug its claws deeper into the ground, and it didn't even move when the attacks hit it. Half of its torso was already out in the open when all three of the Senshi, frustrated by the lack of responde, cut loose with their signature attacks.

Rei thought she heard Setsuna's voice from the side for an instant, but before she could contemplate that further, their target had somehow curled its legs under itself and vaulted the massive body into the air. The raven-haired Senshi of Mars only had a split second to calculate its trajectory, and she came to a horrifying realization: it was headed straight for her. Despite the many battles she'd fought, and all the times she'd faced death alongside her friends, the sight of this huge creature angling down at her froze her for an instant, and reflected in the shiny black carapace she could see her own death.

Then Setsuna's muttered _Dead Scream_ slammed into the creature, dispersing energy playing across its lower body armor, and for a crazy, hope-filled second, Rei believed that Pluto's attack had been successful where theirs had failed. The hope lasted only for a second, and before Rei could realize that its armor was cracked, the monstrosity was already on top of her. Rei only had time to shield her face and roll to the side. Barbed bristles on the youma's legs ripped open her fuku as she barely missed being impaled by a claw that dug a foot into the concrete where she'd been a moment ago. A second leg was already raised, and this time, Rei had no place to roll.

The monster on top of her suddenly rocked to the side, and the leg that had almost speared her flicked out to the side; from the corner of her eyes, Rei could barely make out Setsuna's green hair as the Senshi of time was catapulted away from the battle. Then her world exploded into pain, and she let out an anguished scream as she felt the claw tear into her side. Adrenaline coursing through her, Rei forced back the tears of pain into her eyes and, as some rational part of her brain realized that the monster was partially distracted with Setsuna, ordered her bleeding body to move.

Clutching her bleeding side, Rei crawled out from under the youma. She barely heard Jupiter and Venus attack it in the hope of diverting its attention yet again, but when she could go no more after a few feet, and slumped limply to the ground, she could hear the monster's angry hiss and caught a glimmer of its upraised claw. _This is it_, she thought. _I'm gonna be skewered by a twenty feet youma like some piece of shishkabob._

Her last conscious thought as she surrendered to the blackness and pain was that they should have listened to Setsuna, after all.

* * *

Rei and Minako hadn't always seen eye to eye. Neither did Rei and Usagi, really, mostly when it came to school, boys, food, boys, fun, boys, manga, and, well, boys. That didn't mean they weren't friends. In fact, they were very good friends – after all, the strongest bonds are forged in hardship and adversity. They may argue and scream at each other, but ultimately, when it came down to it, they knew they could trust each other.

Minako and Makoto both had been a little reluctant to accept the others' viewpoint that Setsuna had been wrong this time, but when they reached the site of the explosion and saw the first youma crawling out of the hole and effectively shrugging off their more powerful attacks, they were the first to admit that Setsuna may have been _right_.

When the youma landed on top of Rei, both had instantly dropped their long-range fire on it and took off towards her. They had barely seen Setsuna's headlong charge, but when the green-haired Senshi of Pluto was swatted away, they knew they were Rei's only hope. Both of them gathered as much of their respective powers as they could and hurled the most powerful attacks they could muster at the youma, point-blank range.

Their hearts sank when, even at such a close distance, their magic did nothing but splay harmlessly over the youma's carapace. It was their last shot, and both had given it their all, knowing their friend's life was at stake. Failure hit them like a sledgehammer, and Makoto found herself fighting back tears of frustration, while Minako kept muttering prayers for the youma to drop dead, knowing that it wasn't going to happen.

And then an explosive crack and an angry, inhuman shriek filled the air, forcing both of them to open their eyes, just to have them widen in shocked surprise. Instead of finding the youma's bloody claw embedded in Rei's body, they found it howling in pain, its belly exposed, trying to chase down a black and red blur. They both realized something at the same time.

_It's away from Rei_, Minako realized.

_We've got help_, Makoto thought, a smile beginning to spread over her face. She didn't know yet who or what this help was – but at this point, she would gladly have accepted Beryl's help if she'd shown up and offered. Both of them reached Rei's side in record time, relieved to see their injured comrade groan in pain, indicating that she was still alive.

A far-away shout of "Look out!" turned their heads, in time to see a glittering claw bounce off a red shield around them. Setsuna brandished her Time Key as she erected a barrier, he face taught with the strain of putting up a shield this big.

"Get her out of here," the green-haired Senshi managed between gritted teeth. "I can't hold the barrier for long."

"What about-" Minako began, but a shout of "_Deep Aqua Submerge_!" cut her off, and she realized that reinforcements had arrived. Instead of finishing her sentence, she gave Setsuna a curt nod, and hauled Rei up, slinging one of the limp girl's arms over her shoulders. Across from her, Makoto similarly supported Rei's other side, and the two hurried away from the battle to find Usagi to help stabilize Rei. Neither of them missed Setsuna slipping past the youma, causing it to follow her, as she headed for the remaining creature that had homed in on the other fighter


	5. Chapter Four

**Author's Note:** Well, the painkillers wore off, my sudden bouts of medicine-induced incoherence are over, and I think I'm pretty well back on my feet. Thanks to all of you who wished me well, and enjoy the next installment of Missing Time. As always feedback and critique is appreciated.

Chapter Four

The sight that greeted Ranma as he slid to a halt on a nearby rooftop wasn't pretty. Three of the girls Setsuna had introduced at the shrine only hours before were hurling spells at monsters that were crawling out of the ground. The phrase "popping out of the ground like daisies" came unbidden to Ranma's mind as he observed the Senshi's attack dissipate harmlessly against one of the monsters.

When they kept at it even after it had proven to be ineffective, he cursed his luck and realized Setsuna had been right. These girls had power – so much power, in fact, that he could feel the residual energy from their attacks in the air – but they used it in a very straightforward, very orthodox way.

_If I were that monster, I'd just jump out of that hole the instant I have enough leverage to do so, _Ranma thought. He muttered a curse when that was exactly what it did, and he thought the black-haired girl who'd been so hostile to him and Nabiki back at the shrine was a goner, until Setsuna's attack slammed into it, followed by the green-haired woman herself. It didn't do much besides making it more angry, of course, but Ranma thought that her attack lasted longer before dissipating. Most importantly, it bought them a few precious seconds.

Before the other two Senshi had uttered their attacks, he was already landing on the ground in a graceful crouch, exploding into a full-speed dash the instant his feet found purchase on the concrete. _I hope this works. I've seen Ryoga do it enough times, but I've never tried it before._

Ranma's brows furrowed as the two energy attacks hit the monster, and slipped past the raised leg. His ki warped aroun his finger. _Can't be too different from the _Dokuja Tanketsu Sho, he thought as he plunged his finger into the monster's carapace, releasing the built-up ki. _Here goes nothing._

For a moment, nothing happened, and his heart sank, knowing that the girl behind him was going to die, but then the bottom half of the monster's carapace exploded as the _Bakusai Tenketsu_ kicked in, blowing it a handful of feet backwards. Ranma snatched the debris out of the air before it hit him in a move reminiscent of his first duel with Ryoga after his training in the breaking point. _Brings back memories,_ he mused as he dashed forward, knowing that the monster was angry. _Real angry, if that shriek is anything to go by,_ he thought with a wince.

Its legs were swatting around blindly now, and he knew it was at least hurt by the thin streams of thick, viscous liquid dripping down from its exposed belly. _Time to get busy._ He dodged the flailing limbs fairly easily, as they didn't move particularly fast due to their size, and took his time in leading it away from the downed girl as he tried to give himself time to figure out a way to more effectively counter this kind of enemy. As effective as it was, he wasn't sure it was practical to use the breaking point to blow each individual monster open, though he was pretty sure that without their armor, they were more vulnerable to the Senshi's magic.

Four clawed legs and a tentacle tipped with a razor-sharp pincer were not really easy to get past. Dodge, yes, especially while the target was in a state of shock and in pain, but the pigtailed martial artist would _really_ prefer not to have to get close after getting an up-close and personal look at the wicked barbs that lined the legs. Add to that the fact that the monster seemed to move really fast given its size, and you had one formidable opponent.

A flicker of movement caught his eye, and he vaulted backwards to give himself a moment of space. "Look out!" he screamed at the girls kneeling next to the downed Mars, as the other monster managed to climb out of the pit and were headed towards them. Ranma ducked under a clawed swipe, keeping an eye out for the girls just long enough to see a red barrier flash into being to shield them from being impaled, then returned his full attention to the youma before him.

"All right," he muttered, deciding that he'd seen enough and was about ready to finish things, "kids gloves are _off_." When the monster reared back in preparation for a lunge, the Saotome heir opened his palms and pushed them forward, releasing the explosive blast of ki he'd been building up with a cry of "_Moko Takabisha_!"

His signature ki-blast roared across the distance in a split second, vaporizing a good chunk out of the youma's torso and innards. The remainder of it collapsed, dead, with a massive thud. "One down, one to go," Ranma muttered. His danger sense went off behind him, and he ran, kicking off the ground to land on top of the monster's corpse just as a deluge of water flooded by underneath him.

_Okay, now I _know_ I'm in the Twilight Zone. I always get wet. _Always. Ranma briefly wondered where the water had come from when a series of explosions behind him caused him to spin around.

* * *

The Outer Senshi arrived to Venus's emergency call at the same time the two remaining Inners, Mercury and Moon, did. When Venus's call had reached them, Haruka had been reluctant to go, insisting that the Inners could probably handle a youma attack by themselves, but the urgency in the younger blonde's voice had convinced Michiru and Hotaru to go. When they arrived, they were glad they had.

Usagi and Ami had just gotten there, and Haruka was about to ask what was going on, when Michiru pointed a shaking finger at the downed Rei. Usagi was on her way towards their injured comrade before Haruka could utter a word. "We've got to help them get Rei out of there," Michiru yelled over the crash of the youma's claws against Setsuna's shield, and Haruka nodded. First priority was getting the injured to safety.

Then they could go and kick butt.

"_Deep Aqua Submerge_!" Michiru held the Deep Aqua Mirror in front of her chest, a steady stream of water pouring forth from its enchanted surface to slam into the youma battering at Setsuna's defenses. To their satisfaction, the attack had enough momentum to send the monster careening away, freeing Jupiter and Venus to drag Mars away from the battlefield. Sailor Moon followed in tow, the Silver Crystal already out and glowing with white magic as she attempted to stabilize Rei.

"How many are there?" Haruka asked as they passed her.

Venus shrugged helplessly. "Two, maybe three." The younger blonde spared a quick glance back, where the remaining, uninjured, youma had rallied itself around two lone figures on the battlefield. "Be careful, they're almost impervious to our magic attacks."

That caught them by surprise. "Impervious to magic? That's impossible!" Haruka exclaimed.

"No, it's not. Our strongest attacks just bounced off of their armor," Venus shuddered.

Ami was already ahead of them and had her Mercury Link out and scanning. "She's right," she finally confirmed. "There's some kind of ablative quality to their armor that the Mercury Computer can't identify, but it appears to be some kind of ceramic, highly resistent to heat and energy."

"Highly resistent," Haruka said slowly, "but not invincible." She turned towards the battle. "Come on, let's go. We've got some youma to mop up."

Venus and Jupiter nodded, and settled the now-unconscious Rei against the side of a building. Hotaru was already at Usagi's side, helping her to stabilize Rei's bleeding. The two inners joined Haruka and Michiru, and leapt into the fight.

The youma Michiru had been blasting had regained its footing, using its claws to dig deep into the ground to prevent itself from slipping, and was slowly making its way back over to them. Haruka noticed, and smiled grimly. "_World Shaking_!"

The energy blast raced along the ground, accompanied in the air by Jupiter and Venus's attacks, and Haruka nodded in satisfaction. Since she'd been warned that the youma were heavily shielded, she had put as much power into that as she could draw on in a single, controlled attack. There should be nothing that would survive being hit with this, short of a foot-thick wall of solid titanium.

The youma howled as the attacks hit, and Haruka smirked in satisfaction; the confident smirk on her face only lasted for a split second before she realized the youma was far from incapacitated. Worse, its remaining compatriot had noticed them and had broken off from the melee with Ranma and Setsuna to head straight towards them.

"_Deep Submerge_!" Again Michiru's Deep Aqua Mirror spat out a stream of pressurized water; though more effective than the other Senshi's energy-based attacks, all it did was slow their progress. Which, considering the monsters' long stride, wasn't much.

"_Chronos Typhoon_!" A whirlind blasted to life amidst the fighting on the other side of the crater, and Haruka had to hold on to a telephone pole as she was lifted nearly horizontal by the howling winds that were strong enough to lift even the monsters in Setsuna's immediate vicinity into the air. The magical hurricane cut out suddenly, leaving one of the youma suspended sixty meters in the air, when a second, male voice shouted, "_Hiryuu Shoten Ha_, revised: _Tatsumaki Sakasa_!"

The tornado blasted into being again, but this time the pressure differential was reversed, causing the youma to slam violently into the concrete, its armor cracking open from the impact. When the four Senshi had managed to get back to their feet, they could see Setsuna and Ranma heading over towards them. Haruka was about to open her mouth to launch a scathing remark at the green-haired Senshi for bringing the guy into one of their fights when the remaining youma came up behind them.

_Damn, how could I forget about that one!_

The question was violently shoved to the back of her mind when she was forced to duck under a clawed swipe, only to be blindsided by an angry claw that snapped tight around her left arm. The blonde Senshi groaned in pain, trying to wrench her arm free with as much force as she could muster short of tearing it off.

"Heads up!" Ranma's voice shouted over the roar of the creature as he leapt into the air, and Haruka gaped at the impossible feat as he crossed the fifty feet between them in a single bound to come crashing down on top of the youma that had gotten the jump on them.

"What the-"

The pigtailed martial artist didn't remain on top of the youma for long – its smooth carapace provided no foothold and was smooth enough to cause him to slip, and he ended up sliding off the side of the carapace. It saved his life, though, and Ranma's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates when one of the legs inverted its joint and swatted upwards at its back where he had been standing a moment ago.

_No one told me these things were double-jointed!_ he mentally complained, before rolling out of the way as the leg that had swatted at him reversed direction and stabbed straight down. "Setsuna!" He yelled over the din of combat, hoping the Senshi of time would hear him. She did, and as she looked over, he indicated the top of the youma's carapace, and made a punching motion, hoping she would understand.

She did, and an instant later, a purple-glowing projectile of condensed temporal flux slammed into the side of the youma, causing it to lean over. Ranma took full advantage of the opening it provided him as he closed the distance and unloaded a full-speed _Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken_ into the the joint of the pincer that had a steady hold on Uranus.

_Time to get creative,_ he thought as he began charging his fists with ki, causing the energy to discharge into the shattering carapace. The result was similar to the _Bakusai Tenketsu_ as the fractured pieces glowed with supercharged energy before exploding outwards, embedding pieces of shrapnel deep within the youma's soft tissue. The creature shrieked in pain before curling in on itself like a spider.

One of its legs snapped out at high speed, causing him to somersault backwards as it uncurled itself, leaking a thick, dark liquid from its broken pincer. He snorted in disgust as he saw Uranus, Jupiter, and Venus continue to try and hurt it with their attacks, despite the fact that every single one of them seemed to have bounced off of the youma's armor. "Why the heck aren't you doing something else?" he asked when he reached them.

"Like what?" Haruka snapped between one _World Shaking_ and another.

"Like focusing your attacks. Setsuna's crack the shells slightly, if you can hit that spot, you'll probably do more damange than randomly spraying them like you're doing right now." Ranma caught the sparkle of crystal ice in the air as Mercury launched a _Shabon Spray._

"Hey, can you do that again?" He asked as an idea began to form.

Mercury blinked in confusion. "Do what again?"

"That ice thingie you just did. Can you cool down a specific target?"

"I think so. Why?" Ami wasn't sure why she was taking orders from a boy she had, not hours ago, classified as insubstantial help.

"All right, here's what we're gonna do," Ranma explained. "Setsuna, you're going to hit it first, try and crack its armor again. Then you," he pointed at Ami, "hit the same area and make it as cold as you can."

"And then?" Ami looked interested.

"Then we turn on the heat," Ranma smirked.

Comprehension dawned in Ami's eyes. "Thermal stress!"

"What do you want us to do?" Venus and Jupiter joined the planning, if only by virtue of the fact that Ranma seemed to be the only one with a plan.

"Stick around and don't let them get past you." Ranma dragged Ami over to where Setsuna was futilely trying to use her Garnet Rod to deflect the youma's legs as they snapped for her before the two Inners could say anything more. "Ready?"

Setsuna nodded and leapt back, leaving the youma off-balance. It took her only a second to gather the necessary energy at the tip of her staff, and she released it as accurately as she could, the projectile screaming through the air as it impacted the youma's front.

"_Shabon Spray_!" Mercury's attack hit two seconds later, a little to the left, but still covering the crack Setsuna's _Dead Scream_ had caused in a layer of ice.

Ranma's hand snapped forward that instant, releasing wave of hot ki the same way he'd trailed a reversed spiral for his and Setsuna's combination technique. "_Houou Saigen_!" The blast of hot ki hit the chilled area, causing the entire carapace to split apart as the instant temperature difference spread through the cracks caused by Setsuna's attack.

"_Crescent Beam_!" Venus's attack plowed into the youma's unprotected tissue, killing it almost instantly.

A pained cry from the other two Senshi caused Ranma to spin around; Michiru had dropped her mirror and was clutching her bleeding hand, where two small black shapes were trying to burrow themselves underneath the skin. Haruka was frantically trying to remove them with the Space Sword, but each time she tried to pry them loose, they scuttled out of the way. At least it prevented them from digging deep.

The pigtailed martial artist felt a flicker of movement at his leg and glanced down to see two more shapes trying to crawl up his right leg. He tried to shake them off, but a sharp, stabbing pain told him that they'd stuck themselves to his skin and wouldn't be letting go. He raised his leg to try and pluck them off when the pain intensified. What he saw when he got a closer look at the creatures surprised him; they looked exactly the same as the larger youma, except they were only a thousandth of the size, no bigger than maybe a snail.

He reached for one to pluck it off, but it had sunk its claws deeply into his skin and was climbing up his leg the way they had scaled the sides of the pit. _What the heck? No one said anything about them being able to shrink!_ He reached out, his ki-sense trying to envelop the creatures to get a reading, but all he found was a void. He diverted more energy into trying to dislodge their claws from his skin, but even that attempt was met with little success.

"Crap and a half," he muttered. A quick glance around told him there was no help to be had from the others – Neptune and Uranus were occupied, as were Venus and Jupiter. Setsuna was…

"_Chrono Burst_!" The attack Setsuna hurled at him caught him by utter surprise, and for an instant, Ranma felt betrayed, but there was nothing he could do. She was right in front of him, and he wouldn't be dodging it. The purple energy washed over him, but to his surprise, he felt no pain. Instead, the two creatures on his leg curled up and fell off. He wasted no time to step on them, making a crunching sound as if stepping on a bug.

"What the?" Ranma blinked as the green-haired woman applied the same treatment to the other Senshi, causing the bug-sized youma to fall off one by one.

"I'll explain later," Setsuna finally said after the last of the youma had been blasted, flicked to the ground, and stepped on. She moved around, carefully counting the number of squashed youma on the ground, and let out a muttered curse.

"What's wrong, Pluto?" Venus asked.

"We missed two."

"What?"

"Two of them," Setsuna said, taking a deep breath, "got away."

"I can set the Mercury Computer to scan for them. It shouldn't take it long to find them." Ami already had her visor pulled over her eyes, but Setsuna shook her head.

"No. I highly doubt the Link can track energy sources this small."

They headed over to where Saturn and Moon were taking care of a semi-conscious Mars. As soon as she heard them approach, Hotaru turned around, and gave them a smile and a nod. She was going to be fine.

Upon seeing that, Setsuna allowed herself a small smile of relief. Ranma caught it out of the corner of his eye, but it was gone again before he could be certain it had ever been there. "So," the pigtailed martial artist began. "Do you want to explain what this is all about, Setsuna-san?"

The green-haired woman nodded, then gestured for Usagi. "At the shrine. If you'd teleport us, princess."

The blonde nodded and with a flash of energy from the Silver Crystal, they were gone.

* * *

Mars had been laid down in her room at the Hino shrine, her transformation still in place to help accelerate the healing process. The remaining Senshi had released their transformations and were now slumped tiredly around the living room. Ranma was sitting by the door, separated from them, while Setsuna was the center of attention.

The green-haired woman had taken a moment to compose herself to answer the question he'd asked before. "What do you want to know?" she finally said.

"How about you start with what the _hell _that just was?" Haruka demanded.

Setsuna shrugged, unperturbed by the hostile tone in her fellow Senshi's voice. "That was the threat I warned you about." She carefully schooled her features into calm, though inwardly, the Senshi of time was anything but. Her vision had shown her a single youma, much like it had been during the first time around. The parasites had not come until much later – when they had started fighting more vicious battles in an attempt to destroy the armored quitopods by any means necessary.

"Then why didn't you warn us earlier? You didn't even give us a single day!"

Ranma was pretty sure he was the only one who'd seen Setsuna wince on that one. It only lasted for a split second, then her steely composure was back in place. "Would it have made a difference, Haruka? You still would have disregarded my warning, and would have been equally unprepared."

"That's bull-"

Michiru interrupted her lover's tirade for a moment. "Calm down, love." The aqua-haired woman turned to Setsuna. "I know that we didn't want to listen at first, but, Setsuna, you could have _tried_ at least. If you'd told us earlier, if you'd told us again, if you'd given Rei enough time for a fire reading, maybe, we would have prepared. We would have been ready."

"I couldn't-"

"Couldn't what?" Haruka snapped, "trust us?"

"Would you people stop arguing for a moment?" Ranma had quite a few questions of his own that he wanted answered, but apparently, everyone was ignoring him in favor of watching the confrontation between the two Outer Senshi unfold.

When it finally got to the point where Haruka was yelling more obscenities than arguments, he'd finally had enough, and decided to try out a trick he'd seen Nabiki use a few times to get other people's attention. He put two fingers to his mouth and let loose a shrill, ear-piercing whistle.

The room fell silent. Haruka glared at him, while the others shot him curious looks. "I've got a few questions that none of you seem interested in asking," Ranma finally said.

"Which would be?" The hostility in Haruka's tone was unmistakable, and her lover put a restraining hand on her shoulder. The blonde didn't like the insinuation that they weren't competent enough to fight their own battles, and that was exactly what Setsuna had done when she'd enlisted other help. And now he'd intruded in their debriefing. _Though_, she admitted, _it can't really be called that._

Ranma ticked off his fingers. "Who exactly are these guys, where did they come from, why did you guys suck so much against them, how many more are there, and how do we stop whoever's behind this?"

Haruka bristled, as did Jupiter, at his third question. "_You_ aren't going to stop anything," Haruka said acidly. "_You_ are going to walk out of here and never get in our way again."

Ranma rolled his eyes, shrugged, and yawned. "Well, if you guys insist on getting decimated by the next wave of monsters that decide to pop out of the ground, be my guest. But unfortunately for you, I ain't gonna sit around and watch anyone get killed, so either get used to it, or get out of _my_ way."

"Why you…" Haruka half rose, with a mind to walk over there and show that snot-nosed arrogant brat why _no one_ messed with the Senshi of Uranus, but Michiru held her back.

"Calm down, love," the aqua-haired woman whispered as she tugged her blonde lover back down. "This is not the place to fight."

Ranma shook his head. "No, I think it is." He glared at the blonde woman across from him. "You stopped me before, and I appreciate you trying to avoid a conflict, especially with Nabiki there, but I don't think they'll listen without a demonstration," he told Setsuna.

"I'll wipe the floor with you," Haruka sneered, cracking her knuckles. At the very least, this would provide some stress relief for her.

"Are you sure about this?"

Haruka sent Michiru a small, reassuring smile. "Don't worry. I won't hurt him too bad."

Ranma stood, and started walking outside. "I don't usually fight girls, but I think I'll make an exception for you."

"What?!" Haruka bristled as she stood and reached for her henshin pen.

Only to stop as Usagi transformed in a flash of silver light, bypassing the Sailor Moon stages and going straight to Princess Serenity. "That's enough, from both of you," she ordered. "Haruka, sit down. This will not serve any purpose. Ranma is right, we need to find out who is behind this, and how we can better prepare for the next time we fight them." Her eyes turned on the pigtailed martial artist. "We appreciate your help, and your restraint. But there are some questions we have that we need you to answer before we can accept the trust Setsuna has put into you. Do you agree?"

Ranma turned around, and frowned for a moment. "Fine," he finally said and sat back down. He glanced pointedly at Setsuna. "Well, Setsuna-san? Care to explain?"

The green-haired woman sighed and nodded. "I will tell you what I know." She shot Ranma a short look, and the pigtailed young man blinked for a moment before he realized what she was trying to tell him. _She's not telling them everything, for some reason. Why?_

"The person behind this," Setsuna began, "is a being only known by the name Kaiser. I know nothing about him other than that he is a very powerful entity. Powerful enough to wipe us all out as we are now."

Haruka snorted. "We've survived worse."

"That may be true, but this is only the tip of the iceberg." Setsuna arched an eyebrow. "It is unknown where these youma or Kaiser originate from, but what I can tell you is that before this is over, we will be fighting hundreds more of these youma…and others."

"In case you hadn't noticed," Ranma added with a smirk, "you didn't do too well against them, either."

Haruka glared at him, and was about to snap a reply, when Minako nodded. "He's right, Haruka. Rei almost died because we couldn't do anything to them." The usually cheerful blonde's voice was shaken.

"Speak for yourself." Haruka didn't want to admit it, but her fellow Senshi's words rang with the truth. She had hoped that things had been a fluke, that only this particular set of youma had been immune to their attacks. Setsuna apparently didn't seem to think so. And as much as Haruka hated to admit defeat, she knew that they should have listened to the elder Senshi's warnings. Setsuna had been right; without adequate preparation, they would have taken a long time to figure out ways to defeat these youma in the heat of battle. "So why didn't you warn us earlier, then?"

The green-haired woman lowered her gaze. "I was told not to warn you before now, or the timeline could have been changed, and the attackers could have changed their plans." Her eyes rose again, determination shining in them. "That makes it even more important that we find help. We will have even less time to prepare than I originally thought."

Surprisingly, it was Usagi who cut Haruka off before she could say a word. "That's enough, Haruka." Serenity's heir glanced back at the door to Rei's room. "We almost lost Rei because we were in over our heads. I want to know exactly what happened before we got there." She fixed Makoto and Minako with an even stare. Both opened their mouths to speak, but before they could say anything, she turned and pointed at Setsuna. "From you."

"I don't know everything that transpired, princess," Setsuna apologized. "I probably know as much as Minako or Makoto."

"I'll do it," Ranma offered. Eight pairs of eyes turned to him.

Usagi nodded. "Go ahead."

"I got there maybe a few minutes after the explosion," Ranma began. "Those two," he said, indicating Minako and Makoto, "were already there, along with your injured friend. The monsters were climbing out of that big hole you saw in the ground. They were shooting at the first one, trying to topple it back into the pit, I think."

Minako and Makoto nodded. That had indeed been their plan.

"The monster shrugged everything they could throw at it off and jumped out at the black-haired girl. That's when Setsuna appeared." Ranma glanced sidelong at the green-haired woman.

Usagi noticed the glance, but dismissed it. "So it jumped on Rei? What happened then?"

"Setsuna-san managed to distract it for a bit, and then those two tried, too." The pigtailed martial artist shrugged. "It didn't work too well. They needed help, so I helped them out. Then you guys showed up."

"How exactly did you kill the youma?" Ami leaned forward, interested now that she had been able to review the Mercury Computer's recording of the battle. She had only caught a quick glimpse of the first youma that had been killed, but she could clearly see that its carapace had been blown away.

"I poked its belly and it blew up." Ranma shrugged. "Didn't actually think it would work, but it was the only thing I could think of at the moment." At Haruka's snort of amusement, he glanced at her, a question in his eyes.

The blonde was more than happy to indulge. "Oh please. You don't expect us to believe you just _poked _it and it died? That's the most ridiculous bunch of bull I've ever heard."

"I said it blew up. Apparently, tearing the armor off them hurts them just as much as would tearing the skin off your body." Ranma stared at her evenly. That woman was trying his patience.

"Okay, back to the topic," Usagi announced. "How did you know that you needed to be there? And how exactly did you manage…whatever you did to blow it up?"

"It's a secret Chinese Amazon technique, called the _Bakusai Tenketsu_," Ranma answered, ignoring the first question. The name of the technique meant nothing to the Senshi except for Pluto. Having fought against both Ranma and Ryoga in a future she dearly hoped would never come to pass, she had seen them use it…and variants of it.

"Chinese Amazons." Haruka sneered.

Usagi sent her a glare that did little to cow her, but she remained silent.

"After its armor was gone, killing it was pretty easy." Ranma shrugged. "The main problem you girls had was taking off the armor."

"We would have figured it out," Makoto protested, her fighter's pride rearing its head.

"Eventually," Ami agreed. "But that would have taken us precious time."

"And if he hadn't been there, Rei would be dead." Minako stared at the floor, her eyes covered by her long blonde hair. "I think Setsuna was right. In this case, his help saved our lives."

"I have one more question," Usagi said. "How did you do what you did? Ami scanned you and said there was nothing special about you. A human couldn't possibly have accomplished what you did without magic."

Ranma shot a glance at Setsuna, and before she could say anything, he decided he'd had enough of her games of secrecy. His hand opened, palm up, revealing a glowing golden sphere of energy there. "This," he explained, "is ki."

The two martial artists of the group gasped in surprise, while Ami was frantically working her computer. Ranma continued to explain. "It's the energy that is produced by any living being, and, if you are well enough trained in martial arts, you can use it."

"To strenghten yourself, make yourself faster," Makoto noted, earning herself a nod.

"Right. If you're good enough, you can even do this." Ranma released the sphere, leaving it to hover in the middle of the room, then carefully, slowly, forced it to move over to the fireplace, where he let it detonate in a cascade of released energy that caused a cracking fire to spring up.

"That's – that's impossible!" Makoto's eyes had widened to the size of dinner plates.

"Even with proof right in front of your eyes?" Ranma snorted. "Hardly. If there's one thing I've learned, then it's that nothing is really impossible if you really try."

Ami glanced up from the Mercury Computer, a puzzled look on her face. "I still don't read anything from him. Optical sensors are picking it up, but none of my energy scanners registered any spike. Thermal sensors aren't seeing it, either."

Ranma smirked, and an instant later, he was enveloped in his battle-aura as he allowed his ki to manifest in the visible spectrum. The Mercury Computer beeped a warning.

"Thermal readings are off the scale!" Ami exclaimed, her eyes wide.

"Still nothing on the energy bands?" Michiru leaned in curiously.

The blue-haired girl shook her head. "Still nothing. It's like…some kind of fancy light and heat show, but there's no reading of an underlying power source."

"Is it a fake?" Minako asked quietly.

Again Ami shook her head. "I don't know. The light and heat are real, and-"

She broke off when the room suddenly cooled down a few degrees. For a moment, they could see their breaths puffing out in the frigid air, before the temperature stabilized itself again. Ranma's smirk widened.

"Temperature readings are fluctuating widly," Ami reported, causing Makoto to roll her eyes at the statement of the obvious. "But I still can't figure out where this power is being generated. The Mercury Computer is still reading him as a normal human."

"Maybe it's some kind of trick," Michiru noted. "There could be a light source hidden somewhere on him. That would also explain the sudden heat."

"But it wouldn't explain the cold," Makoto countered.

Usagi shrugged at the debate, then turned to Ranma. "So, what exactly is it?"

"I told you. It's ki. Every person has it. If you train enough, you get to use it." Ranma shrugged. "Don't ask me why she can't seem to figure it out, I haven't got a clue."

"Maybe because so far, Ami's computer has been able to read a_nything_ we've come across," Haruka hissed acidly. "Maybe because when you attacked those youma, they died very quickly…_too_ quickly."

"What are you saying, Haruka-papa?" Hotaru's eyes widened.

"Maybe those youma were part of the whole scheme," the blonde said. "Maybe he's one of them. Maybe they've brainwashed Setsuna, and are trying to infiltrate us this way."

"Don't be ridiculous, Haruka!" The green-haired Senshi stood stiffly. "I have done no such thing."

"How should we know? Hmm?" Haruka glared right back.

"She's right," Michiru added. Upon a number of murderous glares, she clarified, "about the fact that we don't know what happened. Setsuna just vanished for three days, and when she returns, she's acting strangely."

"That still doesn't mean I have been compromised by the enemy, Michiru."

"Then explain how the _hell_ a normal human being – according to Ami's computer, anyway – managed to so very easily take out three youma of which three of us couldn't even handle _one_?" Haruka fumed. Her mind was whirling with possibilities as she tried to reconcile Ranma's apparent lack of power with his success in the fight.

"He's-"

It was Ranma's turn to silence Setsuna with a hand on her shoulder. "I think it's time we cashed in on that fight, don't you?" His eyes flashed dangerously as he stared down at Haruka. The blonde sneered in return, then nodded and quickly transformed and followed him outside.

* * *

There was plenty of space to fight in the front yard of the Hino shrine, and Ranma and Sailor Uranus stood a good thirty feet apart. The woman was eyeing her opponent with a nasty smirk, her hands crackling with energy as she drew on her planetary link. The rest of the Senshi had assembled on the steps to the main entrance, at a safe distance away. Most were wondering if the pigtailed martial artist would survive, and if so, in how many pieces.

Setsuna was the only one who knew the assured outcome, though she was wary to look further into the future. Her plans hadn't forseen a confrontation between Ranma and the Senshi, especially not this soon, even if it was just to prove to them that he could compete with them in terms of raw power. It was a dangerous game, and from her experience in her original timeline she knew it was a very thing edge they were walking.

The first time Ranma and Ryoga had fought the Senshi in her time, they had issued a challenge of honor directly to Sailors Mars and Uranus. Both Senshi had been soundly defeated within five minutes of battle, leaving them stunned and angry. Their injuries would fade quickly, thanks to their magical armor, but their pride would take a while to recover. And when it did, they had somehow decided that because of their attack on the Senshi, Ranma and Ryoga were their enemies.

Now, things were different, of course. The initial hostilities had never come to pass, but they had been replaced with a different set of complications. Setsuna had almost forgotten how complacent the Senshi had become by now. The outcome of this fight between Ranma and Uranus would most likely determine whether the Senshi were going to accept Ranma as their ally…or whether they would consider him and enemy and Setsuna's warnings as unreliable.

That had been the main reason Setsuna had tried to keep Ranma from lashing out at the Senshi – even if it was just to prove that he could hold his own. She was fortunate that he had agreed to keep his temper, though she knew it would have been difficult for him, as a confrontation between him and the Senshi right now could just as easily hurt matters as they could help. Then again she also knew that he wasn't going to risk getting into a fight if there was a chance that noncombatants – in this case Nabiki – could get involved and hurt. There was one more pressing reason, as well; she had hoped that seeing Ranma's ability in a real battle would convince them more readily than a staged fight between him and any one of the Senshi.

The vision and subsequent attack ahead of the invasion schedule she was familiar with had shattered all of her carefully laid plans – she cursed herself once again for making the same mistake that had already cost them one future. Fortunately, things had worked out, with Ranma's help. All that needed to be seen now was whether the Senshi would acknowledge that they needed help…and that Ranma was it.


	6. Chapter Five

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the delay, but real life's been a pain in the neck lately, and between hospital and work, I just haven't found the time to update. Here's chapter five, after quite some time in development, though, so enjoy!

Chapter Five

The air crackled with power, even though Ranma had reined in his battle aura again. Now that Uranus had transformed, and didn't seem intent on hiding any of her power, he smirked as he got a good reading on her. _Just as I thought. A lot of raw power, but almost no control over it. I wouldn't be surprised if the only way she knew how to use it was to throw around energy blasts._

"Last chance to back out," Uranus called out. Ranma merely smirked and stood casually, his hands clasped behind his back. When no reply was forthcoming, the blonde Senshi charged at him with a haymaker.

Ranma swayed to the side to avoid the hit, then ducked to avoid the follow-up kick. _Decent form, but sloppy follow-through. Decent power. I think she'd be hitting about as hard as Ryoga._ He continued to dodge her attacks for a minute, before deciding that he'd had enough. Haruka's magically enhanced stamina probably wouldn't exhaust itself anytime soon, despite the fact that they'd just fought a battle against youma, and he figured he had a decent grasp on her style. He smirked as he thought about it. _Straightforward and aggressive. Sounds familiar. Only she does it with a lot less skill than Ryoga, and probably relies on pure strength to win._

The blonde woman was getting visibly frustrated, he could see it. Her shouts of anger were getting louder as she continued to miss him, and he decided that enough was enough. Shifting his stance, he slipped past her as she attempted a reverse punch, and struck her with an open palm strike that sent the Senshi of Uranus careening back a dozen feet.

Haruka's eyes snapped open at the force behind the blow. While it wasn't the hardest punch she'd ever received – the time a youma had smashed her a dozen feet into the Tokyo Tower came to mind – it was strong…unnaturally strong for a human, and she was a good enough martial artist to know it had been applied with as much skill as strength; otherwise the punch would have hurt, but not sent her flying this far, as well-grounded as she was. Her eyes narrowed as she rolled back to her feet. The hit had been more for show than it had been to take her down.

She sneered and decided to take the fight up a notch. The Space Sword appared in her hand, and she snapped her arm forward with a cry of "_Space Sword Blaster_!"

The energy beam speared towards her opponent, crossing the ten feet distance between them in a fraction of a second. Haruka didn't wait for it to hit as she charged in after her attack, hoping to find Ranma off-balance. The return energy blast that smashed through her _Space Sword Blaster_ and into her was something she hadn't expected. The ball of condensed energy that hit her exploded upon contact with her, and for an instant she could feel the searing heat as her fuku was stripped and her skin blistered and burned before the Senshi magic kicked in and sealed up the breach in the magical armor.

Still, even with the magic working to heal her at hundreds of times the speed a normal human would, she ended up nearly doubled over, clutching her burned stomach in pain. She did have enough presence of mind, however, to to raise her sword and try to back off to give herself more time to recover. She was surprised he hadn't pressed the advantage against her as she righted herself.

Ranma was crouching low to the ground with a smirk on his face. "So, you said you didn't believe me when I told you I poked that monster and it blew up?" His grin widened when he reached out to jam his right index finger into the ground. Uranus blinked, unsure of what to make of the action, when the ground around her erupted into dirt and high-velocity shrapnel.

When the blast was over, Haruka found herself lying on her back, her fuku and body littered with countless cuts and tears as Ranma sauntered over. She glared at him as he stopped next to her, and propped herself up on her elbows. Instead of an attack, however, the pigtailed martial artist extended a hand. Haruka glared at it for a moment, then sighed and took it as he hauled her back to her feet.

"You're good," he commented finally, turning to walk back towards the shrine.

Haruka blinked in surprise. Compliments were the last thing she'd expected. In fact, she was surrpised he considered the fight over. Sure, she was hurt, and the fuku was taking its time to heal her injuries, but she'd fought on in worse condition. The fact that he wasn't even breathing hard only added insult to injury.

"But you're not good enough." Ranma's second comment caused her to bristle and stop.

"It's not over yet. I'm not done!"

Ranma turned around and shook his head. "Unless you have some more fancy tricks up your sleeve, then yes, you are."

"Tricks?" Haruka shouted.

"Yeah, tricks." Ranma created a sphere of ki, and hovered it in his palm almost absent-mindedly. "You have a lot of power, and that transformation of yours gives you a lot of speed and strength to go along with it." He shrugged. "You still suck."

From the sidelines, Setsuna winced in sympathy. _Still as blunt as ever._

"Why, you-"

"You suck because you've got all this power, all this strength and speed, and you still fight like some thug off the street." Ranma's eyes hardened, and he returned her glare with equal force. "You suck because you lack the self-control, the discipline, the focus that would make you good fighters. You've got all this power, and the best you can come up with is throwing the same kind of elementary magic attack over and over again. You've got all this speed, and you _still_ have to stand still when you fire them. You've got all this strength, and all you do with it is try and punch your opponents. You try to work as a team, but your idea of teamwork consists of getting as many people as you can to shoot the monster at the same time. _That_ is why you suck."

Haruka was about to open her mouth to retort when his statement sank in. _Is he right?_ she thought. _Is it true? Are we really so limited? Did we blind ourselves that, just because we won our battles, we were fighting the best we could have?_

The answer that came to her a second later chilled her to the bone, distracting her enough to cause her to loose her transformation. They _had _limited themselves. Until now, looking back on their battles, they'd always matched power with power. They had always ended up overpowering their enemies with more magic attacks, more powerful magic attacks, but, as Ranma had said, they had always been the same kind of attacks. What he had used against her, what he had shown the rest of the Senshi during that humiliatingly short battle against her – and in the battle against the youma earlier – was that he was the exact opposite.

He had an arsenal of moves at his disposal, any of which he could alter and modify on the fly to apply to any given situation, from elemental attacks to energy blasts, to a myriad of martial arts moves that enabled him to do the unthinkable against even impossible odds. And if that wasn't enough, then he would come up with combination attacks that utilized the resources available to him to the greatest possible effect…much like using a combination of Mercury's ice-based attacks and his own heat-based energy blasts. Or using Setsuna's _Chrono Typhoon_ to his advantage.

Or even something as simple as using her own energy blast to launch a counterattack that had completely blindsided her. Haruka faltered. That one still smarted, especially since she'd used that tactic herself quite a few times against youma that liked to throw around energy blasts. Her fists unclenched, and the angry set of her jaw slacked. "I…I understand," she whispered. To her surprise, she could feel tears leaking down her cheeks – tears of anger, at herself, for missing the obvious for so long that it had taken a normal human being, with no special magic powers whatsoever, to show them that they _hadn't_ been protecting the people as well as they could have…as well as they had believed.

Ranma turned around and nodded. "Good. Then we can get started."

* * *

"Now," Ranma asked as he stared at the girls arrayed before him. "Who here knows how to fight?" Nine hands rose into the air, Setsuna's included. Rei had joined them after the Senshi magic, coupled with some help form Usagi and the Silver Crystal, had finished mending her injuries within the hour. The pigtailed martial artist frowned and rephrased his question. "Who here knows how to fight in some way _other _than just throwing the biggest magic shot you can at the enemy?"

Four hands remained. Ranma glanced into the round, then nodded. "Step up," he said, and Setsuna, Haruka, Rei, and Makoto stood and took a step forward. "Karate, second dan," Ranma told Haruka, and the blonde looked up in surprise.

"How'd you know?"

"The way you move, your form, your stance." Ranma smirked. "But you're rusty. Probably haven't had a real lesson or a real hand-to-hand fight in a long while." He snapped out a punch, which Haruka caught. "You're too used to the power from your transformation, blocking instead of dodging, strength instead of speed. I know someone who fights just like you." Ranma smirked.

"I haven't seen you two fight yet," Ranma turned his attention to Rei and Makoto. Rei was still grumpy, but had given up glaring at the pigtailed martial artist when she had been told he had saved her life.

"Kempo, first dan," Rei told him.

"Same," came Makoto's reply.

Ranma's eyes fixed on Setsuna, causing the green-haired woman to shift uncomfortably. "Setsuna-san?" he asked, wondering at the woman's odd behavior.

"I've had…extensive training," she finally said, and Ranma nodded.

"I see. I need all the help I can get with them," he waved at the other five girls. "When can we start?"

"We usually hold meetings to prepare every Tuesday and Friday, when there's no emergency," Ami replied.

"That's not nearly going to be enough," Ranma glanced at Setsuna, and she nodded. "We'll figure something out tomorrow. I'll be here at two. Anyone who wants to learn, be here."

Ranma sighed as he walked down the stairs to the temple. This wasn't really what he had had in mind when he agreed to help Setsuna. At best, he'd been expecting to fight the monsters himself, or get some help from the Nerima crew to help. Teaching a group of girls to fight felt, to him,…wrong on a number of levels. And then there was Stesuna's mysterious behavior. Maybe Nabiki had been right, maybe she _was_ hiding something.

"No need to try and sneak up behind me, Setsuna-san."

A sigh came from behind him, and the silence was broken by the click of heels on the stone steps as the Senshi of time ceased to move stealthily. "Can't hide from you, can I?"

A small grin played around Ranma's face as he glanced to his left, at his companion. "I didn't get to be the best by letting them."

"Very true."

"So, what do you want this time? Warn me of another alien attack that's going to take place in an hour?"

When Setsuna remained silent, Ranma stopped abruptly and turned to face her. "Listen," he said, for once his awkwardness with women forgotten, "you asked for my help, but you're not telling me everything. There's questions you're not answering. Now, I don't know what your reasons are, and I don't _think_ you've got some sort of evil hidden motives, but I can't work with someone I can't trust – and even if you're not up to doin' something nasty, I can't trust you if you won't tell me the whole truth."

"I understand," Setsuna replied. "There's a few things I haven't said, that I don't think the others are ready to hear yet."

"Why?"

"Because…because they scare me, and they make me really, truly wonder if we're not just delaying the inevitable – or worse, speeding it up." Setsuna wasn't looking at him, something that told him the usually confident woman wasn't telling him something.

"The truth, Setsuna-san. What's going to happen? What _did_ happen? Something's got you scared, and I need to know."

Setsuna turned around, before waving her hand and creating a shimmering red-tinted translucent bubble around the two of them. "This'll protect us from listeners and scrying," she explained upon his curious glance, and the shaky tone she was speaking in gave him an indication of just _how_ afraid she was…even though he didn't know why, after all, she had warned them of an attack, it had been beaten back with no casualties, and now he had agreed to train the girls to fight. No problem – right?

"Out with it, Setsuna-san."

"The vision I had when I warned you…it didn't come true."

"What?" Ranma nearly fell over. "But-but you said that the city would be attacked, and it was-"

"But I was wrong."

"You'll have to explain that one to me, then, because I don't get it." Ranma blinked, nonplussed. "You were right, the attack came. We defeated the monsters…so what's the big deal?"

"Because the vision was _wrong_," Setsuna shrieked, clawing at his shoulders, a hysteric, almost manic look in her dark red eyes. "I was wrong, wrong, wrong!"

"Calm down!" Ranma reached up and took hold of her wrists before she could start shaking him, as well. "Tell me, _what_ went wrong?" When the woman didn't show any indication of even beginning to calm down, he removed her hands from his shoulders, then cupped her face and forced her to look him straight in the eye, for once forgetting about his shyness around the opposite gender. "Setsuna-san. Look at me. _Look_ at me."

The woman's terrified chittering subsided slowly, and she blinked, twice, the glazed look in her eyes clearing. Ranma was about to release her when she slumped in his grasp. He guided her as she sat down heavily on the steps, burying her face in her hands. Unsure of what to do, Ranma awkwardly wrapped an arm around her shoulders and waited.

It took a few long minutes, and Ranma marvelled at the fact that no one outside their bubble seemed to notice them when he realized that the outside world was standing still. _So I guess Nabiki was right…she _can_ control time._ Finally, Setsuna looked up, her red eyes even redder, and her cheeks streaked with tears, but she seemed to have regained her composure.

"What's got you so scared, Setsuna-san?" Ranma asked again, worried about the answer. While he hadn't known the woman long – barely two days had passed since he'd first met her – he'd gotten the impression that she usually had a tighter hold on her emotions than this. Something that could so thoroughly shatter her composure was not something Ranma thought would be pleasant to deal with.

"I was wrong," Setsuna whispered, a grim smile playing around her lips. "I was so wrong." She shook her head. "When I warned you, I had gotten a vision of the battle to come. When I scryed the battle, I found that I could only see the beginning of it, because of some interference." She shuddered. "I couldn't see any further than that, so I thought we would be fine, because I had warned you, and I knew what was coming."

"I think you told me that we had a good three weeks before trouble would start."

"I thought we did…" Setsuna took a deep breath, before looking back up at him. "When I told you I was from the future, I was telling the truth. I lived through a year of war, a year of bloodshed. Most of it was from innocents. I've seen kingdoms rise and fall in my time, but nothing…_nothing_ comes close to the devastation this war will bring." Another deep breath to steady her. "And then it ended. You and your friends ended the fighting…the hard way. I thought, maybe if I went back in time, with the knowledge I had, knowing what and when things would happen, I could prevent them."

"So you came back, and you told me we had three weeks…but you just told me yesterday. What's going on?"

Setsuna's face lost all expression as she replied. "I don't know. In my timeline, the first attack happened on February 9th. The enemy shouldn't have been moving this fast, shouldn't have been _able_ to move this fast."

Things fell in place, and Ranma froze. Her surprise at the suddenness of the vision, her surprise at seeing multiple creatures in the battle, and her fear of what had happened…and what was to come. She had thought she could predict their enemy's movements to prevent history from repeating itself, but all she succeeded in was to apparently speed up the bloody war that was going to be fought.

"Things didn't go as you planned – as you remembered them."

Setsuna nodded. "Yes. The first attack came three weeks early. But what was worse…in my vision of the first battle, I only saw the Senshi and you fighting one of the youma. There were four of them."

"Could your vision have been wrong?" Ranma asked, worry beginning to creep into his tone. The situation wasn't getting any prettier as she was telling him all the things that had gone wrong.

"My visions are always accurate." Setsuna gave a wry smile. "The only possibility is that during the hour between my warning and the actually battle, the enemy must have changed plans. He knew I was preparing extra measures to combat him, somehow."

Ranma shuddered. If an enemy controlling an unknown number of forces on that kind of schedule, then they were in deep trouble – especially if he could anticipate and react to anything Setsuna was anticipating and reacting to. Still, there was more to it. "There's something else, isn't there?"

Setsuna nodded. "Those…parasites."

"The little critters on my leg." Ranma grimaced. He _hated_ bugs, and Setsuna's worry about them only intensified his dislike for them. "Your little blast surprised me. Ya could've warned me, y'know."

Setsuna managed a weak chuckle at his mock-glare. "Sorry about that, but I had to act fast. You weren't going to get them off in time the way you were trying to counter them. Still, we missed two of them. That's going to cause a lot of problems."

"I guess there's a story to that, huh?" Ranma shifted where he was sitting next to her.

Setsuna nodded, and drew her legs to her chin. "In my timeline, they appeared a month after the initial attack. We didn't think they were much of a threat, at first, because they were small, and didn't seem to have any combat potential whatsoever…but we were wrong."

"You seem to have screwed up quite a bit in your time," Ranma snorted, though Setsuna was surprised to hear no trace of recrimination or disgust in his tone. He was merely stating a fact, maybe even a bit amused by it.

"We have," she confirmed. "We were all over-confident back then, and when reality hit us – and hit us hard – we overreacted. These parasites turned out to be a greater danger than the other youma, because once they attached themselves to a host, they could not be removed by any means, magic, ki, or otherwise. They would then take possession of the host, and use it to fight the war. They used them as Trojan Horses." The Senshi of time ran the back of her hand across her tired eyes. "By the time we realized it, it was too late. A lot of the people infected by them had been killed, and the war had gone on for too long for us to even want to spend the effort to find a cure, to find a way to remove them. That's how your mother died."

Ranma fell silent. "Mom…Mom was infected by one of these things?" he finally whispered. "And two of them got away?" Setsuna merely nodded.

"You said there was no way to remove them. You somehow blasted them off of me and your friends." Ranma's voice startled Setsuna after a few minutes of silence.

"The others weren't interested in finding a cure…I tried, and I succeeded, but unfortunately, it was too late. By the time I realized what I could do, the war was over. You and your friends had put an end to it."

"How's it work?"

Setsuna blinked, then realized she probably shouldn't have been surprised at the question, knowing who she was talking to. "The _Chrono Burst_ is a variant of my main attack. Basically, it's a blast of condensed temporal flux…a-a sphere of time, if you will. What happens when my usual attack hits is that it will generate a magically accelerated timeflow at the target, which causes it to travel either forward or backward in time."

"Huh?"

The green-haired woman had to laugh at the confused look on Ranma's face, despite the situation. "Basically, it makes it so that either the target hasn't existed _yet_, or makes it age so fast it dissolves."

Understanding shone in Ranma's eyes, and Setsuna allowed herself a satisfied smirk. "So basically you make time go faster around it until it falls apart."

"Right." Setsuna nodded. "What the _Chrono Burst_ does is create a very localized field that is in phase with the parasites, which will cause them to effectively cease to exist. The hard part," she explained, "was getting the attack in perfect phase with them."

"I see." Ranma frowned for a moment, before shrugging. "Actually, not really, no, but it doesn't really matter if it works." He smiled grimly. "You better keep that spell of yours handy, then, because we're going to find those two critters that got away."

Setsuna laughed again. Ranma seemed to make it easy to laugh, and she found herself infected by his humor and naïve optimism. "Well, I'm certianly glad you think so."

When Ranma didn't laugh with her, Setsuna stared at him, wondering what he was thinking. The pigtailed martial artist finally shrugged and stood. "Look, Setsuna-san, I really don't know what's going to happen…and I can't really know for sure how you must feel, with things changing and not going to plan as they are, but I know one thing. My future self seems to have trusted you with the task of going back and stopping all of this before it gets out of hand, and if he – I – oh, hell, my head hurts just thinking about it!" Ranma groaned in annoyance as the thought of temporal mechanics confused his mind. "Anyway, if my future self trusted you, then I do, too. He trusted you to do this, Setsuna-san, and so do I, and so do your friends, I think. And if so many people think you can do it, then they can't be wrong."

Ranma turned to look at her as Setsuna's jaw hung open. "Just because a few things aren't going to plan doesn't mean we have lost the war. You asked me to help you, and if you've really fought me in the future, you should know one thing: 'Saotome Ranma _never_ looses.'" With a small smile, his battle-aura flared to life around him as he dissipated her time-bubble. "I'll see you tomorrow, and then we'll get started teaching them how to fight."

Ranma started walking down the stairs of the shrine when a sudden and short downpour caused him to change into a she…and Setsuna to collapse into a fit of giggles as Ranma muttered to herself.

"Seriously, _every time_."

* * *

The park's night air was cool on her skin, but she wasn't freezing. In fact, the cool air felt rather soothing, and Setsuna took a deep breath as she stood at the edge of a small pond. After Ranma had left, she had sought refuge here, unable to go back and face her fellow Senshi yet, not so soon after loosing control of herself.

Her enemy from the future's words rang clearly in her mind, and Setsuna stopped that train of thought dead in its tracks. No, not enemy anymore. She had to stop thinking of him as such…Ranma was no longer her enemy, never had been in this time and, if things went to plan, he never would be. Instead, he would be a friend, an ally, something the Senshi – and especially Setsuna – now desperately needed.

A small smile tugged on the corners of her mouth as she recalled his parting words. Despite the fact that he spoke from a naivete he hadn't yet lost, he had been right in his determination. That was something that had carried him this far in his life, and it was something that would carry him much further, if he survived this war. Again Setsuna shook her head. No, there was no way Ranma wouldn't _not_ survive this.

Setsuna knew full well that Nabiki didn't trust her. In fact, she knew that even most of her comrades didn't really trust her, and it pained her to admit that she had had a large hand in that by her own actions in the past. Setsuna couldn't really fault Haruka or Rei for being wary of her warnings; the way she had acted the past two days had been so unlike her previous behavior that her old self probably wouldn't have trusted her, either.

But that had been before she had lived through a year of hell. Before all her hopes and dreams for the future had been viciously shattered and she had watched herself and her friends become self-serving soldiers of fortune who more often than not preferred to take the easy way out just to ensure their own victory, no matter what the cost to others. There had been too much death, too much destruction caused by her own actions and, in some cases, inaction, in her past that a sedate pace such as the kind she had set with earlier threats was no longer an option. No, simply warning the Senshi and then sitting back and letting them deal with the threats would no longer work.

In her timeline, Saotome Ranma had been a fearsome enemy, someone who relentlessly, tirelessly, pursued victory and justice, sometimes with a reckless abandon that sometimes had her wondering if the young man really still cared whether he lived or died. He had taken some ludicrous risks in her time, but somehow, he had always managed to beat the odds time and again. He had somehow managed to match the Senshi's superhuman magic abilities with training and dedication to the martial arts, had somehow managed to outwit Ami's battle plans, outfight Haruka, Rei, Makoto, and Minako in their most powerful Senshi forms at the same time, and then gone toe-to-toe with Usagi and the power of the Silver Crystal.

And, it appeared that this same penchant for coming through in times of crisis had saved the day for the Senshi in this particular battle. Setsuna knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that Ranma's aid had been vital during the skirmish with the vanguard youma, and she didn't doubt that without his help, the battle would have had a much different outcome. Despite the fact that the youma had been powerful enough to take on the Senshi, Ranma had shown remarkable ability in taking them out – the same kind of adaptability and tactical genius that had been the bane of her existence in her timeline.

_Not to mention the fact that he somehow managed to dispel my _Garnet Ball, Setsuna mused. _No, Ranma is as dangerous as ever, and underestimating him could be costly._ That Ranma somehow had managed to breach and dispel her shield spell was something Setsuna knew he could do – they had duelled multiple times in her timeline, and the one thing she had found out very quickly was that no technique worked on him more than once or twice. By their second fight, Ranma had already managed to pierce through her defensive magic, and by the fifth time they battled, Ranma had found a way to counter the time-dilation effects of her temporal magic.

No, what surprised her was that he had done it _now_. It had been a clear message – he was on top of his game, and he was keeping her on her toes to be prepared for anything, because they couldn't afford anything less when it came to battle the full-scale invasion. But a year of fear and constant struggle wasn't so easily left behind, and Setsuna found herself left with not a small amount of respect and awe at his abilities. In her timeline, Ranma had learned to counter her _Garnet Ball_ spell out of necessity, because she was his enemy, and she had always known that he worked best in combat. But now he had merely sat around for a quarter hour, talking to her…and he had already figured out what his counterpart in her timeline took a week between fights to do.

She couldn't really help it. _Six times_, she thought. _Six times I've fought him, and every time he so thoroughly defeated me it's a miracle I'm still alive._ The Senshi of time suppressed a shudder. While she knew that the Ranma she had just talked to hours ago was nothing like her nemesis from the future, she couldn't help but feel anxious about being anywhere near him. The feeling of fighting him for her life, or watching him kill her friends one by one was still too fresh, too recent in her mind for her to be entirely comfortable around him without her subconscious reacting to any minuscule movement he made and anticipating him to jump at her to continue the battles they had begun.

But there was something about him that also raised her spirits – she wondered if this wasn't part of what had made him such a particularly difficult enemy to make, because there was an inherent naivete, an innate goodness within him that made it appear as though all he ever wanted to do was please those around him and keep his friends and family safe. It made it hard for her to remember that he had been a lethal adversary in her future, on occasion, and she was glad for it, because Ranma hadn't deserved to be treated as such, not when nothing had happened yet.

Then there was also his little speech, and for the second time that day Setsuna fought for the self-control she had established over the course of millennia. The fact that he trusted her, only on the condition of her word, was not something Setsuna had gotten overly used to. People obeyed her, listened to her advice because they knew she could see the future, but very few people actually listened to her because they _trusted_ her unconditionally.

A splash and a ripple in the water from the other side of the pond jolted her out of her reverie. Letting her curiousity get the better of her, Setsuna wandered over, along the pond's edge, until she could see someone sitting on a rock close to the water in the dim moonlight. Another splash announced the rock the person had thrown into the water, and Setsuna blinked in surprise as the clouds parted, letting the light reveal Haruka's face for a second.

_Might as well start mending bridges now,_ Setsuna mused. _We can't afford to tear each other to pieces, not if we don't want to be overrun._ Silently, she moved next to her fellow Senshi, then sat down. The crunch of pebbles underneath her heels had to have alerted Haruka, but the blonde showed no indication of acknowledging Setsuna's presence.

They remained that way, in silence, for a few long minutes, and Setsuna just stared out at the water, trying to find the words she needed to say. It was hard, especially considering that Haruka had been one of the people whom Setsuna blamed most for the path she had taken in her timeline. Out of all the Senshi, Haruka and Rei had been the most likely to overreact and resort to drastic measures to end a fight, which had ultimately led to their own demise. Much as with Ranma, thinking of her friends as the people they had been before the invasion was difficult at best.

"I'm sorry," Setsuna finally said.

"For calling me names, or for keeping things from us?" The blonde finally replied after a long pause.

Setsuna sighed. "I'm not sorry for what I said, but I owe you an apology for _how_ I said it. I…the matter was highly urgent, and no one was giving it any serious thought when I told you that you weren't ready. It was the only way I believed at the time would make you listen."

"Good enough, I guess." Haruka sighed and stared down at the hands clasped in her lap. "What happened, Setsuna? We've never seen you so…so frantic."

"I've…seen the future, and it isn't pretty. I've told you that before. I've seen how much destruction will be caused if we're not ready for it, and I've seen you, every single one of you, die, because we didn't prepare in time, because we thought of this threat like any other." Setsuna placed a hand on her fellow Senshi's shoulder. "But this battle must've shown you, this enemy isn't like anything we've faced before. This enemy doesn't care for collecting heart crystals, it can't be fought the way we've fought Galaxia, or Metallia."

Haruka snorted. "I see why you wanted us to be ready, those were pretty nasty youma, but I still think-"

"No, Haruka. Don't even start with that." Setsuna's grip tightened. "Against one of them, you would have won, eventually. But there wasn't one, Haruka. Given the time it would have taken Ami to figure out how to defeat them, all four of them would have ripped us apart. And even if there had been only one, if Ranma hadn't come to help us, Rei would be dead."

"Rei…"

"You weren't there in time to see it," Setsuna explained, "but he saved her life."

"She ended up sliced open almost from throat to navel," Haruka noted skeptically.

The Senshi of time nodded. "And if he hadn't interfered, she would have been dead. As it is, given a day, she'll be fully recovered."

Haruka shuddered, something Setsuna could see even in the dim light…and the Senshi of time had the distinct feeling that it had nothing to do with the chilly night air. "Well, what do you want us to do?"

"Train. Prepare. Take this threat – and Ranma's advice seriously," Setsuna told her grimly.

"What's so special about that kid, anyway? Why are you so hell-bent on having him help us?"

"Why are you so opposed to him helping us?" Setsuna countered.

"Because this is _our_ job!" Haruka exploded suddenly. "This is our duty, our responsibility. We're supposed to be guarding this planet, and we're not supposed to be _needing _any help, we're not supposed to be risking someone else's lives to do our jobs!"

"Ranma feels the same. 'It's a martial artist's duty to protect those who cannot protect themselves,' I think he would say," Setsuna explained. "I have seen the extent of what he can do, and he still amazes me. He can easily keep up with any of us, and more than likely is skilled and powerful enough to outfight any three or four of us at any given time."

Haruka grunted noncommittally, unsure of how to reply. Then she asked, "How do you know so much about him? I mean, sure, he's supposed to be some kind of super-martial artist, and Makoto couldn't stop talking about it for a while, but seriously, he can't be able to punch through concrete and create energy blasts out of thin air."

"Just like there can't be a group of magical girls who defend Earth against extradimensional demons and minions on a regular basis?" Setsuna paused for a moment to let that statement sink in. "Ranma is an example of what 'mere humans' can achieve when they truly try and work at it. Just because Ami and her computer can't figure out how he's generating all that power doesn't mean it isn't there."

"You really think the kid's gonna make a difference? I mean, we know what we're up against now, and we can act accordingly. We won't be caught off-guard again."

Setsuna shook her head. "No, Haruka. What we've seen is only the tip of the iceberg. What is going to follow is going to be much, much worse, and we need all the help we can get to deal with it. Ranma can…bring in new ideas, a new perspective, something we really need right now."

"And you're fine with it if he dies? It'll be your fault for dragging him into this, the question is whether _you_ can live with it, Setsuna."

The green-haired woman remained silent at that for a few long minutes. "I know," she finally said. "But that's a risk I'm willing to take. More importantly," she added, "it's a risk I know _Ranma_ is willing to take without a moment's hesitation."


	7. Chapter Six

**Author's Note:** Well, this chapter took me a while to write. I kept working on it and changing things, but I'm still not quite satisfied with the way it turned out. However, I'm at the point where I don't think I can figure out what's bugging me about this chapter without some input, so here it is. Please review, and let me know what you think...if there's some good ideas and points, I'll put up a rewrite (which hopefully, I'll be satisfied with and be up to my usual standards). Thanks in advance!

Chapter Six

He wasn't quite quiet enough when he snuck back into the house. In fact, two people were still awake, and they were waiting for him. Ranma wasn't really surprised. While the battle and the subsequent meeting with the Senshi had concluded late afternoon, he hadn't returned home immediately. In fact, it was the middle of the night now, and Ranma had almost expected that Kasumi was still up. She always was, when someone wasn't at home and she worried about them, despite the message he had left for them.

Nabiki, he had expected, as well. Mostly because of their previous conversation. Still, imagining that Nabiki, the Ice Queen, would be worried about him was still a weird notion. But the instant he slid off his slippers, the middle Tendo daughter turned on the lights in the kitchen, beckoning him over.

Ranma sighed. He was tired. Not only had the battle taxed him – and coming up with two entirely new techniques on the fly most certainly only added to that strain – but he had spent the last few hours from sundown until midnight thinking. His feet had unwittingly carried him back there, and before he knew it he had found himself in front of the Tendo home and dojo. _At least Pops and Akane are already asleep_, he thought.

"How'd it go?" Nabiki asked.

The pigtailed martial artist shrugged noncommitally. "Could've been worse," he grunted. _Actually, it's pretty darn bad already._ Thinking about the entire chain of events had led him to a similar conclusion as Nabiki had drawn at the ice-cream parlor. Setsuna was hiding something. And while he could feel that she was honestly trying to stop this invasion and prevent her fellow Senshi's deaths, there was something else to her that he couldn't quite put his hands on.

"Saotome." Nabiki smiled wryly. "I didn't know you had added understating the facts to your talents. Have you seen the news lately? An entire office building vanished. Monsters the size of large cars coming out of the ground. Some footage of the Senshi fighting, and not doing too well. How exactly could it have been worse?"

"Akane could've been there," Ranma replied dryly.

"Good point." Nabiki frowned. "Anyway, so what happened?"

Ranma shot a glance at Kasumi, who merely gave him a blissful smile and began pulling together a quick snack for him. Nabiki shrugged and told him, "I had to tell her why you were going to be out late. She knows you're involved in a fight and helped the Senshi this afternoon."

The pigtailed young man leaned in and whispered, "Setsuna?"

Nabiki shook her head. "Not my place to tell. Besides, who knows what would happen if more people knew the whole story. So, want to tell me what happened out there?"

"Those girls got their asses handed to them on a silver platter, along with appetizers and drinks."

Nabiki was surprised to find no trace of bragging or pride in Ranma's voice. While she had long realized that most of his bravado was an act to protect himself from an environment where his friends were those that merely wanted to maim him, instead of outright killing him, some of it was the well-deserved result of his skills and abilities. If he was dead serious about things, then matters had to be bad – bad enough for him to forego any kind of flowery descriptions and go straight to business. And the last time he had gone straight to business was the battle with Saffron, or so she'd heard. _Then again_, she thought, _if the Senshi couldn't handle those monsters, then things probably _are_ pretty bad_. "I could see that on TV," she replied dryly.

"You don't understand, Nabiki," he explained, "They _suck_. Their idea of fighting is standing still and throwing the bigger magic ball at their enemy. I know Setsuna asked me to train them, but if what she tells me is true, then nothing's ever gonna get them in decent shape in time."

"Oh, come on," Nabiki said skeptically. "They can't be that bad. They've managed to fight off everything they've faced so far, after all."

"Yes, and if their enemies ever learned the value of dodging, then they'd have been toast much earlier," Ranma countered. "Not to mention the fact that these new monsters seem to be magic-proof, or something."

"Magic-proof?" Nabiki arched an eyebrow in doubt.

"You saw it on TV. Their attacks just bounced right offa them. They didn't even leave a dent." Ranma shook his head. "And it gets worse."

"How so?"

"From what Setsuna told me," he said, leaning closer toward the brunette, "things are going very, _very_ wrong. You know how you told me you thought she might be setting this whole thing up earlier?"

"Yes. What about it?"

"I don't think she is," Ranma shook his head. "Things wouldn't make sense if she had."

"Why do you say that? I still think her little warning was a little _too _convenient." Nabiki frowned. "And of all the Senshi, I would trust her the least, if rumors are even partially true."

"Let me explain." Ranma used the phrase without thinking about it and paused, then blinked in surprise when he realized that Nabiki was actually looking at him intently, and it was dead quiet except for the chirping of crickets outside.

"Cat got your tongue, Saotome?" Nabiki teased after a minute or so of Ranma's perplexed silence.

"Uh, no." He scratched the base of his pigtail in embarassment. "I just realized what I said."

"What did you – oh." Nabiki's eyes widened as she came to the same realization. "Not used to it actually happening, are you?"

Ranma smirked wryly. "To people actually listening to what I've got to say? Not really, no." He shrugged, and picked up where he'd left off. "Anyway, I don't think she's setting any of this up. Things actually make a lot more sense if she's telling the truth."

"Like what?"

Ranma was silent for a moment, unsure of how to word things. "She's…afraid," he finally said. "I know I suck at reading people, but I really don't think she was acting. And…there's something more."

"I'm all ears, Saotome."

"This isn't just any one isolated battle, Nabiki. This is going to become a war, and we just lost our biggest advantage."

The middle Tendo daughter blinked in confusion. "I don't understand." It wasn't often that she admitted to something like this, but the whole situation had her mind in overdrive to make some sense out of it.

"Surprise," Ranma explained. "Setsuna wanted to keep my involvement secret from the enemy to give us an edge when the battle came. I think she really _can_ see the future, and that her warning this afternoon was genuine. When she saw that there was going to be a fight today, it was convenient for her, you're right about that – but I've had time to think about it. Her surprise doesn't add up to it, and it feels genuine, too. After the battle, we realized that our opponent knows I'm involved – that's why he increased the combat strength of his monsters. He knew Setsuna was trying to get help, and was trying to wipe us all out in one go."

"So, what exactly happened? I mean, from the news footage it looks like you had everything under control. It didn't exactly look like you were hard-pressed to deal with them, or something." Nabiki shrugged.

"Nabiki." Ranma's voice caused her to stare at him quizzically – this was a tone of voice he usually never used. This was a Ranma who took matters extremely seriously. "I had to come up with two completely new techniques on the spot to defeat them. The girls' attacks didn't even scratch their armor. One of the girls almost _died_. And the enemy knows I'm helping. It's about as bad as it can get."

"That's…pretty bad," Nabiki conceded.

"And to make matters worse, Setsuna thinks we're being observed by the enemy, and that he's capable of changing his tactics and attack forces on the fly."

"What makes you say that?"

"They did it already. That first battle wasn't supposed to go the way it did. There weren't supposed to be that many of them." Ranma shrugged. "If your opponent can increase his strike force by four times in a matter of hours, then…"

"Then there's going to be big trouble," Nabiki finished in understanding. "If they can predict your countermeasures an have enough time to put their own in place, then you're fighting a loosing battle."

"Yeah." Ranma sighed. "That and I've got to whip them into shape, and, well…" the pigtailed martial artist shrugged helplessly. "I can't train girls."

"Why's that?" It was Nabiki's turn to be perplexed.

Ranma stared at her evenly for a moment before replying. "Look at what happened with Akane."

A plate of steaming dumplings was placed down in front of him, and Ranma looked up into Kasumi's reassuring smile. "Here you go, Ranma-kun."

"Thanks." For once, though, the infamous Saotome appetite seemed to stay dormant, as Ranma started picking at his food.

Kasumi settled at the table next to her sister, and peered at him intently. "Yes, Ranma-kun, you can." At Ranma's confused look, she smiled and explained. "I think you _can_ train girls, Ranma-kun. Oh, don't give me that look, I know you mean well with Akane, but would you teach every girl the way you train with Akane?"

"Uh…" the pigtailed martial artist scratched the back of his head. "I suppose not."

"That reminds me, why _do_ you train Akane the way you do? I mean, she's right, I'd barely call that training. You've never shown her a single move, all you ever do is dodge her attacks." Nabiki frowned. "Well, whenever she doesn't use her mallet, and only until she looses her temper, anyway."

"Isn't it obvious?" Kasumi reverted back to her blissfully unaware smile, but her eyes gleamed with insight. "We all know Akane-chan is impatient and has problems controlling her temper."

Understanding dawned on the middle Tendo daughter. "So you're taunting her to _make_ her loose her temper? I guess I can see how you're trying to make her see how loosing her temper is bad, but, seriously, I think there's better ways than pretending to not take her seriously."

"Yeah, I guess there are," Ranma acquiesced, absently rubbing Akane's favorite malleting spot. "But this way I kill two birds with one stone…well, sort of, if she doesn't kill me first."

"Like what? All you ever do is dodge her until she explodes."

"Did you notice I stay just a bit ahead of her in terms of speed?" Ranma smirked. "Akane has gotten quite a bit faster over the last year. Her accuracy has gotten better, too, at least when she's not swinging that damn mallet of hers."

Nabiki blinked in surprise, never really having noticed it. "I never noticed."

"I'm not surprised," Ranma smirked. "Akane hasn't, either."

Kasumi's hand found its way on top of Ranma's, and he stilled his food poking at her touch. The eldest Tendo girl's brown eyes smiled at him as she spoke. "Then there's your answer, Ranma-kun. If you really had any doubt about being a competent teacher, you should have your answer."

"Yeah, well, I don't think Akane really appreciates my way of teaching." The Saotome heir shrugged. "I mean, I can't seem to do anything right by her."

"There is a gaijin saying: 'When the student is ready, a teacher will appear.' Akane-chan isn't quite ready to be taught yet," Kasumi countered, her serene smile back in place. "I told you when you first got here, she's a bit of a violent maniac, I'm afraid, and until she looses that, she can't really advance. However," her eyes bored into Ranma, and he felt a chill run down his spine despite her smile, "that does not make you a bad teacher – quite the opposite, really, you found the only way she would improve, and continued to teach her even after she rejected your way of teaching – even after she can't even recognize what you are trying to teach her."

Ranma merely smiled weakly, and raised his hands in surrender. "Geez, thanks, Kasumi. I guess this is my lucky day, what with both of you being so nice today, and all."

The stare Kasumi sent him had Ranma sweating bullets an instant later. "Uh…not that you aren't nice all the time, Kasumi, you're just being nicer than usual today, I mean – uhh, what I actually wanted to say was-"

The two Tendo sisters broke out into fits of giggles at his flustered expression. "Oh, don't take it so seriously, Ranma-kun, we are just teasing you," Kasumi finally managed between giggles. When all of them had calmed down somewhat, she continued. "So, what exactly is it that has you so worried?"

"I'm going to be teaching a bunch of _girls_, Kasumi." Ranma stated as if it were self-explanatory. When no reply was forthcoming, he elaborated. "You know I don't hit girls, and you know I don't like to fight them. This is, well…" he shrugged helplessly. "This is, like, going against everything Pops ever taught me."

"And since when has your father ever taught you anything relevant or accurate?" Nabiki asked, ice lacing her tone.

"It's not really all that easy…" Ranma started, only to be interrupted by Kasumi, again.

"No, I imagine it's not, Ranma-kun. You've been taught all your life that women are weaker than men, that they need to be protected." The brunette housekeeper allowed herself a sad smile. "In some cases, that may even be correct, and it's always nice to be chivalrous. Women _are_ physically weaker than men, and most tend to be less aggressive, that is true, but we are far from helpless. Look at Shampoo, look at Elder Cologne. Are they weak?"

When Ranma shook his head, she continued. "When you change into your female form, do you consider yourself weak?"

Again, Ranma shook his head.

"Then do you think I am weak? Or that Nabiki is weak?"

"Well…" the pigtailed martial artist didn't know what to reply, so when Kasumi seemed content to let him choose his words, he took his time…and did so carefully, for a change. "I guess, in some ways, yeah. You're not fighters, so when something happens, you're the first I'd want to protect. But in other things…I wouldn't exactly say that you are _weak_, just…well, just not fighters."

A satisfied smile spread on Kasumi's face. "Then what is the difference between us and Shampoo, or the elder?"

"They're martial artists."

"Exactly. So, if a woman has been trained as a martial artist, is she still weak?"

Ranma frowned, remembering the ease with which Setsuna had dispatched Ryoga before the lost boy had even seen her, and the skill he'd seen her wield during the battle against the youma. "I guess not."

"So then, if women aren't weak as fighters when they're trained, do you suppose they can be dangerous opponents?" Kasumi leaned forward onto the table.

"Well…maybe. I'm the best, after all, but…yeah, Cologne's pretty damn dangerous. Shampoo could wipe the floor with Akane and Ukyo."

"And could such trained women warriors be dangerous to noncombatants? Could an Amazon warparty, maybe, be dangerous to me and Nabiki and your mother?"

Ranma's eyes widened as Setsuna's words came back to him. _The casualties in the Senshi's prolonged war with this evil force, which I only know of as 'Kaiser,' will ultimately include your mother, and almost the entire Tendo family. _He realized where Kasumi was going with her line of inquiry. "Yes," he whispered, "they could kill you all."

"And if they could, Ranma-kun, would you not be forced to strike them? To do whatever it takes to defeat them?" Kasumi placed a hand on Ranma's. "It is true that it is dishonorable to strike a woman when not in combat, but you have to realize, Ranma-kun, that women can be just as dangerous in battle, and need to be taken seriously. If you don't, people might get hurt, and that is a much greater dishonor."

Nabiki realized where her sister was going, and added in her own two cents. "I know you pride yourself on your skills, Ranma-kun, but even you can't be everywhere. You always say it's your duty as a martial artist to protect the weak, but did you ever imagine others see things the same way? That it's their duty to protect others?"

"I guess," Ranma answered, "I mean, every martial artist should."

"And what would happen if you were caught up in a battle on one side of the city, while your enemies started a second attack on the other side?" Kasumi picked up. "You cannot be in two places at once. A great warrior knows when he needs help, and if this, as you say, is going to escalate, then wouldn't it be your duty to do everything in your power to ensure that people are safe? Even if it means asking for help?"

"But-"

"Ranma-kun, I know you don't like asking for and accepting help," Nabiki chuckled, "especially looking at your father. But sometimes you have to. You can't fight a war by yourself, and more importantly, you can't _protect_ everyone by yourself, not if this is a full-scale invasion. I'm willing to bet the Senshi are as opposed to accepting your help as you are theirs, because of the same reason. It's _your_ duty to protect others, and if they fight, you can't protect them, am I right?"

The pigtailed young man remained silent for a second, then nodded his head in defeat.

"Asking for help isn't weak, Ranma-kun," Kasumi added.

"Women aren't, either," her sister completed the tag-team effort.

"I…I guess, it should be all right then," Ranma conceded. _They're right. Maybe Mom died in Setsuna's time because I was too damn proud to ask for help, or because I was off fighting someone else and wasn't there to protect her. And what if people die because I can't be everywhere at once?_ "I'm still not liking it," he grumbled.

Kasumi smiled at hearing it. "I know you don't, Ranma-kun, and that is why I think you'll be such a fabulous teacher. Because you are so afraid to hurt your students that you'll consider your teachings very carefully."

"I ain't afraid of nothin'!"

"Because you're so concerned with protecting people that you'll teach your students the same code of honor you live by," Kasumi continued, undeterred by his outburst. "And if you occasionally are forced to strike your students in training, I don't think there's any harm to it. You know your own strength very well, and I don't think you'd deliberately injure someone."

_Those girls are probably just like me – afraid that they'll risk someone else by asking for help. Setsuna took the first step by asking me. I think the best way to teach them is to start here. Nabiki and Kasumi are right, I _need_ help if I want to keep everyone safe, and if that means training them until they drop, then I guess I'll have to do just that, Pops be damned_, Ranma mused. _And they seem pretty sure I can do this._

"Well, looks like it's gonna be quite a bit of work, then," he grinned, before his expression fell again. "Damn, I have to figure out a way to deal with Ryoga. Mousse I can probably keep off my back, especially if-" _Especially if I ask Cologne for help. I'll owe her, but if things get as bad as Setsuna says they will, then I need all the help I can get to whip them into shape._

"Hmm." Nabiki picked up a pair of chopsticks and snatched a dumpling from Ranma's plate. "I think I have an idea," she said after chewing and swallowing. "But it's going to cost you, Saotome."

"Nabiki!" Kasumi shot her sister a disapproving glance, but retracted it when she saw the mischievous look in her sister's eyes.

"I need Ranko to make a few appereances over the next few days for my plan to work, and…" Nabiki pulled out a pocket calculator. "I need you to take me to Juuban at least once a week."

"What for?" Ranma blinked in confusion.

"Why, ice cream, of course!" Nabiki giggled._ And to keep an eye on you. Somehow, I don't think we'll get out of this if we don't all chip in,_ she added silently.

* * *

Despite Kasumi's insistence, Ranma didn't sleep in the Tendo home that night – too many questions would have arisen if they'd stumbled across him after he was supposedly on a training trip. However, Kasumi wouldn't have Ranma return all the way to the park, so they reached a compromise: he would sleep on the roof, come in for an early breakfast, and let her know where he was going.

Ranma didn't think twice about letting Kasumi in on what was going on – she had been his confidante for the past year, and Kasumi was probably the one person he trusted unconditionally to keep his secrets with no hidden motives; besides, he owed her that much, knowing she was worried about him even with the letter he'd left behind the day before. As it was, it took only half an hour for him to explain the whole situation to her, from the day Setsuna K.O.'ed Ryoga and asked for his help to the fight last night. The eldest Tendo daughter took it all in stride, her serene smile never fading, but he had become rather proficient at reading her expression, and he knew that she was still worried, albeit for different reasons.

The Saotome heir left after a quick breakfast, and left, bounding aimlessly across the rooftops of Nerima, lost in thought. The dilemma presented to him was not exactly an easy one, but he had some time before the Senshi – those who had taken him up on his offer for training, anyway – gathered at the shrine. _Don't think it'll be many, though,_ he thought to himself.

He stopped abruptly about an hour later when he realized he had left Nerima, and was standing on a familiar rooftop – the one he had watched the battle from the day before. With practiced ease, he let himself drop down, flipping and landing easily on the abused concrete. The police had cordoned off the area, but it was so early in the morning most people were just either waking up, or coming home from a late shift.

_Time to see where the heck they came from._ Ranma ducked under the tape that ran around the gaping hole in the ground, and found himself staring down into a black hole. "What the-"

He kicked a pebble over the edge and waited for the sound of it hitting the ground to reach his ears. When he didn't hear anything after a minute, he gulped and took a big step back. "Well," he muttered, "I don't think I'm going that way."

"I don't think you will, either."

"Gah!" Ranma jumped at the sudden presence behind him, causing Nerima's premier martial artist to loose his foothold and tumble towards the hole in the ground as his arms windmilled around for balance.

A hand attached to a long, slender arm caught hold of his right hand and yanked him around, away from the hole. Ranma found himself staring into Setsuna's amused red eyes.

"Don't do that!"

"Do what?" Setsuna's eyebrow arched with practiced ease.

"That!" Ranma waved around wildly. "The whole appearing out of thin air thing."

Amusement was clear in Setsuna's expression now. "And how do you know I wasn't here all along, but masking my presence?" It was true, she _had _teleported in, and while she had never managed to sneak up on the Ranma in her timeline, she was pretty sure she could on this one…after all, he had no reason to be on the lookout for her specifically, yet.

"Because you displaced air when you teleported in. No ki-masking does that. Besides," he smirked, "Your ki-signature just appeared out of nowhere. Even if you shield your ki, there's an empty spot in the environment that I can pick up."

Then again, considering just who she was talking to, maybe she just had to live with the fact that she couldn't sneak up on him, period.

"So, why're you here, anyway?" Ranma asked.

"Training." Setsuna took a step back from the hole and looked up into the sky, as if looking for something there. "There's a few things I need to talk to you about, a few things I think I need to show you before you start training the other Senshi."

"What kind of things?"

"Combat techniques. Battle strategies. Special attacks from the future, designed specifically to counter and kill these monsters and…" Setsuna choked up for a moment. "And the Senshi."

Ranma was left blinking in stunned surprise. "What? If you've got all those fancy techniques, why don't you just teach them yourself? Why'd you even need my help, then?"

"Because they're yours." Setsuna closed her eyes against the memories. "They're your techniques, your attacks, developed over an entire year of battling youma and us. I'm sure you'd come up with them yourself when faced with the enemy, but I think a headstart wouldn't hurt. Besides," she noted as she opened her eyes again, "you're the only one who can use them. You and Ryoga. That's why I didn't teach the Senshi."

"I guess…" Ranma thought about it. It made sense – Setsuna seemed to know what they'd be facing, even if the _when_ was problematic, so it would only be logical that she teach him what the Ranma in her timeline had developed to counter their enemies. The fact that they seemed to be short on time only added to that urgency. "There's a few things I need to take care of, though. Besides, I know Ryoga isn't going to leave me alone, and he's got this annoying tendency to show up at the worst possible time. And I need to talk to Cologne."

"Talk to me about what, son-in-law?"

"Gah!" For the second time that day Ranma jumped in surprise, causing the matriarch of the Joketzusoku to cackle in amusement. "How long've you been there, old ghoul?"

The comment earned him a smack on the head with the elder's gnarled cane. "I got here just now, while this young lady was telling you about teaching you some new techniques." Cologne grinned toothily. "I, myself, am rather interested in seeing what this young thing thinks she can teach you, and why you'd need it. Knowing you, son-in-law, it's quite a story, I'm sure."

"Yeah, well, what about me isnt," Ranma muttered.

"Oh, don't take it so seriously," Cologne chuckled, "it's quite entertaining. You have to admit, some of your adventures are rather…unbelievable, not to mention so unlikely even I wouldn't believe them if I hadn't witnessed them, myself."

"Well…" Ranma frowned, then chuckled as he realized she was right. "I guess you've got a point there. If it were happening to someone else, I guess I'd think it was pretty funny, too."

Cologne hopped down from her staff and eyed the hole in the ground. "Good. Now, would you care to enlighten me about all of this?" She gestured towards the hole. "And this young lady?"

"My name is Meiou Setsuna, Elder Khu Lon of the Joketzusoku." Setsuna carefully hid her satisfaction at the brief look of surprise that crossed Cologne's face. Of course, she had only ever met the elder once before, in her time, in battle. That had been shortly before Ranma and his friends had launched their campaign against Kaiser, where Cologne had apparently perished.

Cologne's surprise only lasted for a split second, before a benevolent smile was back on her aged face. "Call me Cologne, child. I can practically see your tongue twisting trying to pronounce my name. Now, who exactly are you, and what's your business with son-in-law?"

"Well, it's complicated," Setsuna began, only to be interrupted by Ranma.

"Actually, not really," he interjected. "She's from the future, come to warn me of a horrible invasion from extra-dimensional monsters that we have to help her and her friends defeat or the world will end…or something along those lines."

"Hmm…sounds like the plot of a bad soap opera," Cologne commented. "Which means it's just about par with your life." The elder shrugged. "So, care to fill me in on the details?"

"Sure. I was going to talk to you, anyway," Ranma agreed, "but since you're here…whatcha think of this?" He pointed at the hole in the ground where a ten-story office building had been vaporized the day before.

Cologne hopped back on her staff and pogoed over to the edge. Peering down into the pitch-black darkness her eyes widened in surprise for the second time that day. "Well, this is quite impressive. Whatever or whoever made this hole had to have been using some impressive amounts of energy, if the news reports are to be believed. Throw in a fight with, what do you Japanese call them…ah, yes, 'youma,' and you've perked my interest."

"So, any idea on what came through here?"

"Well…" Cologne poked the sides of the hole with her cane, "my guess would be that your assumption was right, and you're dealing with extra-dimensional invaders."

"Well, yeah, I figured as much from the ki – it's really, like…shifted."

"Out of phase, you mean." Cologne nodded sagely. "From what little I saw of the fight on TV before that fool Mousse dropped a bowl of soup over it, it seems that you're in quite a dire need of help."

Setsuna, who had been interrupted by Ranma, closed her mouth and settled back, content to let the two martial artists discuss the situation. This was Ranma's turf, and while she knew of Cologne, Ranma was the one who was used to dealing with her, and knew how much he could tell her. And at this point, they couldn't afford to alienate potential allies with her mystery routine.

"Yeah…" Ranma scratched the back of his head. "Ya see, I've gotta train her friends, and they, well…"

"Yes?" Cologne asked expectantly.

"They kinda suck."

Cologne nearly fell off her staff. _Though I really should've expected that from Ranma. Blunt as ever,_ she thought as she regained her balance. "I presume you're talking about the Sailor Senshi, whom the news said were fighting the youma?"

"Yeah, them." Ranma nodded. "You know how I am with girls, and stuff…"

"About you not hitting girls." Cologne snorted in disgust. That was one habit she absolutely hated about Ranma. Sure, he was a nice person, once you got past all the bravado and ego, and he was honorable to a fault, but there were a few traits of his that disgusted her. Though those were through no fault of his own, she amended silently; his father was the one who had been drilling those things into his head since he was virtually an infant, so it was to be expected. The habit of his to not take women seriously and to never hit them was one of those, one which she had been trying to break him of for a long time.

"Actually…"

"Hmm?"

"Well, I kinda talked to Nabiki and Kasumi about it, and, well…they kinda explained it to me." Ranma shrugged. "I don't think it'll be easy, but they've pretty much made it clear that if I fail to protect someone because I didn't take a woman seriously, I've failed my duty as a martial artist."

_Will wonders never cease?_ Cologne looked at him with astonishment reflecting in her eyes. "Who are you and what have you done with the real Ranma?"

The Saotome heir chuckled sheepishly. "I guess…I grew up a little."

"Well…just a little," Cologne added, before both of them broke out into laughter.

Their mirth was interrupted when a familiar voice rang through the morning air.

"Saotome Ranma, prepare to _die_!"

Cologne sighed and leapt out of the way, while Ranma ducked, letting a barrage of razor-sharp bandannas fly overhead, followed by a familiar lost boy.

What neither of them expected, though, was a flash of purple energy that caught Ryoga square in the chest, accompanied by a cry of "_Chrono Burst_!" The blast enveloped Ryoga, but he continued, undeterred, his fist impacting the concrete and blowing a six-foot crater into it where he'd hit the ground.

Ranma took one look around him, and, realizing they were in a residential area, decided to put his opponent down quickly, before Ryoga decided to cut loose with his really destructive techniques. His battle-aura flared up the instant Ryoga was on the ground, and before the dust and debris had settled, he was airborne, and about to come down on Ryoga hard with an axe kick.

The lost boy twisted to take the hit on the shoulder, then grabbed a hold of Ranma's leg and slammed him into the ground. With his arms extended to catch the impact, Ranma bent his legs, forcing Ryoga to lean forward, then kicked back out, causing Ryoga to loose his hold on him. Both flipped to their feet.

"What'd I do to you this time, P-chan?" Ranma asked in exhasperation.

Ryoga was quick to reply, his words following a _Shishi Hokodan_. "Don't play dumb, Saotome! You were off running around with some bitches all day yesterday! Akane told me everything! She even showed me on the news!"

_You have _got_ to be shittin' me_, Ranma sighed. He should really have seen this coming – after all, both Nabiki and Cologne had mentioned the fact that they'd seen him on TV, so it would stand to reason that Akane had, too. Arguing with Ryoga wasn't going to get him anywhere, though, so Ranma decided to just let his fists do the talking, at least until Ryoga either calmed down, or got hopelessly lost again.

"Now, Ranma, you're going to – urk!" Ryoga's eyes widened to the size of saucers as he stared at something behind Ranma. A spurt of blood exploded from his nose, and he keeled over, unconscious.

The pigtailed martial artist blinked in confusion and slowly turned around, careful to keep an eye on Ryoga, just in case. When he realized just _what_ had caused the lost boy to faint, he couldn't help but laugh. Setsuna was standing there, staff still extended from firing off her _Chrono Burst_, in full Senshi garb, which, Ranma had to admit, was bordering on outright indecency.

Cologne glanced between the two, then joined Ranma in laughter. It took a few minutes for them to calm down, and when they did, Setsuna had reverted to her civillian identity, and was staring down at Ryoga with a frown.

"What's wrong, Meiou-san?" Cologne asked. _Well, that explains why she claims to know the future, if the reports of Guardian Pluto are to be believed._

"Why didn't the _Chrono Burst_ work on him? He should've stopped attacking the instant the parasite was removed."

"Parasite?" Cologne arched an eyebrow.

"Oh, that," Ranma chuckled. "There's no parasite, Ryoga's just always like that."

"Now I really want to hear this story," Cologne noted.

"Sure thing, old ghoul."

The comment earned him a bop on his head from her cane. "Respect your elders, boy."

"You kidding me? Pops and Happosai?"

Cologne hesitated for a moment, before chuckling."I think we can make an exception for those two. The Neko-Hanten? I assure you, I've got adequate protection in place."

"Sure, why not. Coming, Setsuna-san?"

"What about him?" Setsuna jerked her head at Ryoga's prone form.

"Eh, just leave him there. He'll wake up and find his way back to Nerima sometime." Ranma shrugged as he turned around.


	8. Chapter Seven

**Author's Note: **My apologies for taking so long, but my muse apparently went AWOL, and add to that, real life's keeping me real busy. I have most of chapter 8 completed, however, and am just filing on the rest of the storyline before I come out with new chapters. Hopefully not more than a week or two. That said, enjoy, and as always, reviews and constructive criticism are welcome!

Chapter Seven

The Neko-Hanten was still closed for business, but it would open shortly for breakfast. Ranma always wondered just _why_ a ramen restaurant would be open for breakfast, of all things, but apparently, Cologne and Shampoo had no problems keeping the place going and full even in the morning hours. He was a little apprehensive about walking right into the place where Shampoo and Mousse would both be only a few feet away, but he trusted Cologne enough to know that when she promised a serious discussion, then he would get one.

Cologne easily propped open the doors to the restaurant, then led the way downstairs, past a set of heavy iron doors that had absolutely no place in a Japanese building. "Security measures," she explained.

Beyond the doors lay a room lined with rows upon rows of shelves that were filled to the brink with scrolls, cases, and various artifacts, and Ranma immediately understood her comment. With this kind of large a number of Amazon treasures, scrolls, and secrets – not to mention the magical artifacts that he just knew would be around somewhere – it would be prudent to install as safe a door as possible.

Cologne closed the door behind them, then leaned her staff against the lone table in the room as she propped herself up on a chair. She gestured for them to sit, and looked at them expectantly. "I'm listening."

Ranma and Setsuna exchanged a glance, and he shrugged and nodded at her. "Go ahead, you're the one who's from the future."

At the mention of the future, Cologne arched a curious eyebrow. _This is getting more interesting by the second_, she thought to herself. _Just what has that boy gotten himself into this time? _There was something about the younger woman she didn't quite trust, as if she was hiding something. Cologne knew she was a Senshi – her transformation and the sudden burst of power from the short spat with Ryoga had more than proven that, but there was more to her than she let on, and Cologne knew it.

"Well," Setsuna mused, "I suppose I should start from the beginning. There's some of this Ranma hasn't heard yet, either." When she had both martial artists' attention, she continued. "I'm from about a year into the future. What happened to us is that an entity of unknown origin, with an unknown number of troops at its disposal, started an invasion of Earth. The Sailor Senshi were the first to respond to the initial vanguard force, but we were taken by complete surprise. The enemy decimated us during the first engagement, and we were forced to call a retreat before we lost Sailors Mars and Jupiter. The new enemy possessed an adaptability and battle strategy the Senshi were unprepared to deal with; most of them are highly magic-resistant so that only the most powerful of our attacks had any chance of penetrating their armor."

She paused for a moment, lost in thought, and Cologne almost thought she wouldn't continue, but then, "By the time we had adjusted our tactics to combat them, they sprang another kind of trooper on us. Again, they caught us totally off-guard. Three months into the war, we discovered that most of the attacks, which we'd been beating back by then, had been decoys. The enemy had been using them to distract us while they snuck their other creatures past our guards. These _Sleepers_, as we call them, were small, arachnoid parasites that are about the size of a five-yen coin. They remain mostly undetected, and can easily bypass even the most alert guard. Once they find a host, they will attach themselves and gain control over the host's body and memories, augmenting it tenfold. Then they use the host as a sleeper agent, maintaining normal appereances until the time is right to strike – whether that is on command, or by their own discretion, we never found out."

"Go on." Cologne produced a glass of water and placed it in front of the green-haired woman.

Setsuna took the drink with a grateful nod. "Two weeks after we realized that, we were attacked by the first of the Sleepers – it was a businessman over in Akihabara. All of a sudden, reports came in about a man running amok and throwing energy blasts around. The Senshi responded, and fought him. All attempts at curing him with magic failed, and he was killed after destroying half of the block. We found the parasite on his corpse, but it wasn't until another four cases that we figured out what was happening. By then, the number of Sleeper attacks was increasing every day, and we discovered that they, too, were adapting to our tactics. If we killed one by overwhelming it with firepower, the next one would trade physical power for magic resistance. If we crushed one by dropping the ceiling on it, the next one would be able to levitate at a split second's notice. If Sailor Uranus stabbed it with the Space Sword, then the next one would be armed and skilled at deflecting melee attacks. After two weeks, we didn't even _try_ to heal them anymore…it became so much easier to just go for a quick kill that wouldn't get _us_ killed in the process."

"I see…faced with an irritating opponent, capable of outfighting you at every turn. You got frustrated." Cologne nodded.

"Right."

"I take it that was only the beginning, then?"

Now it was Setsuna's turn to nod. "Correct. Six months after the invasion began, we started loosing it. Big time. It was probably the biggest screw-up in the history of screw-ups," she laughed bitterly. "When the defenders of the people decided that they _were_ the people. Six months, one week, and three days into the war, on August 19th, we made our biggest mistake. We made Ranma our enemy."

"What happened? You said something about Mom dying…"

Cologne shot Ranma a disapproving glare, though she really couldn't fault the boy. If this Setsuna woman had hinted that his mother was going to die, it was natural for him to ask, though she still didn't appreciate the interruption. _If something happened to Ranma's mother, I have no doubt he'd be moving mountains to bring whoever killed her to justice,_ she mused.

Setsuna's face turned introspective, though Cologne caught the slight hitch in her voice that someone of lesser experience would have easily missed. This strange woman was more affected by what she was about to say that she wanted to let on, but her control was slipping.

"One of the Sleepers caught one Saotome Nodoka." That sentence filled Cologne with a foreboding she _really_ wished wouldn't come true, but she kept silent. Setsuna continued. "By the time we got to her home, it had blown up much of the house. We weren't aware that Ranma was on the way, and by the time, we were so wary of Sleepers, that…"

"Oh no," Cologne muttered.

"We battled it, of course." Setsuna looked grim by now, and didn't dare look at Ranma. "But after weeks of fighting Sleepers and realizing that each time we defeated one, the next one would make it even harder – so hard that we couldn't take the time or the risk to try and find a way to save the hosts – we weren't all that willing anymore to even try. Sailor Mars decided that it would be best to destroy the youma before it caused too much damage, and brought what was left of the house down on top of it. It wasn't enough." She chuckled bitterly. "Of course not. On the last one, we'd brought down a concrete building, and it wasn't enough. The resulting battle ended up destroying the rest of the property, and dragged on long enough for Ranma and Ryoga both to run all the way over from Nerima. Why they were on their way, I'll never know…probably their sixth sense telling them something was wrong."

The bad feeling Cologne had condensed to a rock of solid ice in her gut. The elder spared a careful glance at Ranma, only to find that the boy's face had gone ashen white, his eyes wide in shock. He was trembling, and sweating, and it wasn't because he had a cold. When his head rose and she met his eyes, she was surprised to find cold, barely restrained fury in them. That was an emotion Ranma rarely showed, and not ever in this intensity before. Cologne _really_ didn't want to be in the shoes of whoever his wrath was directed at at the moment.

"That battle was when we found out something horrible. We hadn't been destroying the Sleepers themselves…just their hosts. The parasites had the ability to leave their host moments before their deaths. Ranma and Ryoga got there just in time to watch us battle Ranma's mother among the burning remains of her home, and Sailor Mars shoot her in the back with a _Flame Sniper_." Setsuna's voice dropped off into a whisper. "We thought we'd won, when their battle-auras flared up. We thought they were new enemies, but they ignored us and made a straight line for her. Ranma held her in his arms as she died, but the parasite was already gone. She was herself when Mars's attack hit. She had _been_ herself for the last few minutes, and the way she'd fought…we should've noticed. It changed when the parasite left her, but we thought it was just its desperation making it fight harder."

"It was Mom."

Ranma's comment caused both women to look at him. "Mom doesn't show it, but she's very good with the sword." His voice was choked up, and Cologne could see that he was barely restraining himself – though from what, that was the question.

"Right," Setsuna confirmed. "It was all Saotome Nodoka, then. After the battle, when Mercury reviewed the logs of the battle, she found out that the parasite had been gone. When she reviewed the logs of all the battles, she found that we hadn't destroyed a single one – they'd all fled their hosts before they were killed." Things didn't end there, though, as much as Cologne might have wished. "Two days later, we responded to a disturbance in Nerima. Tendo Dojo."

"More Sleepers?"

"Not this time," Setsuna shook her head. "During one of our first fights with this new enemy, one we lost, a number of them got away, including a humanoid youma who gave us a name for our enemy: Kaiser."

"Wait a second, I didn't see anyone like that yesterday," Ranma interrupted.

The green-haired woman frowned. "You're right. He probably won't show up this soon, but with things changing, I can't be sure. He might come in one of the later waves, or he might not come at all. Oh god, if we missed him and he's in the city-"

"What exactly are we talking about here?" Cologne asked.

"We're talking about a monster who looks like a featureless human being, able to morph itself into any human shape, and imitate any human it meets. It talks, it walks, it fights…and the worst part, we found out very quickly it can absorb and duplicate any attack that's thrown at it," Setsuna explained. "It's effectively second-in-command of Kaiser's forces, and we only know it by the name it's given itself: Replicator."

"What exactly does this…Replicator have to do with the Tendo dojo?" Ranma was the one to ask the question this time.

"He challenged Sailor Uranus on three separate occasions. They duelled, she lost, and barely escaped with her life every time," Setsuna replied. "He became somewhat of her nemesis, someone who constantly bested her, threw it in her face. It got to the point where she didn't even shy back of large amounts of collateral damage to try and defeat him. Of course, since he could just absorb and copy any kind of attack we made on him, the more we battled him, the stronger he became. We received a tip that the Replicator was seen in Nerima, and when we got to the Tendo Dojo, it was pretty obvious he was there. By that time, most of the Tendos were under the influence of Sleepers, though we can't be sure. Uranus believed that, since he had shown no indication of having detected us yet, that it would be easier to 'nuke' the place, as she put it."

"Destroy the entire area with overwhelming firepower to destroy an enemy while he is unaware of the attack and thus unprepared to shield himself," Cologne agreed. "A sound tactic, even if I don't necessarily agree with its usage."

A look of sadness and regret passed through Setsuna's eyes before she could slam her barriers back up. "Right. Though it wasn't as unexpected as we thought. Replicator emerged from the wreckage unhurt, and engaged us in a battle that destroyed much of the surrounding area. We were at a stalemate when he suddenly retreated, and we realized he had only been stalling for time; stalling for Ranma and Ryoga to arrive to find us as the culprits to the destruction of the Dojo, to find the dead bodies of the family." A humorless smirk tugged at the green-haired woman's lips. "In our arrogance we told them we'd done what was necessary, that they shouldn't even think about opposing us, because how could they? They were normal humans, after all, and we were saving the world."

"Somehow I doubt either of them took it quite that lightly," Cologne commented dryly. She noticed Ranma had fallen silent during Setsuna's explanation, but she couldn't find reason to fault the boy for not asking questions. This _was_ quite a bit to take in, and he'd just been told that the people he was supposed to help had killed his mother and his adoptive family in the future – a future that could easily happen again.

"No, we didn't," Ranma replied before Setsuna could continue, much to both women's surprise. "I'd probably have wanted to go after them immediately, and so would Ryoga. We probably got our asses kicked the first time, then came to you for help, Cologne. You probably sent us on a training trip, more to defeat this Kaiser than the Senshi themselves."

"That's pretty much what happened," Setsuna confirmed. "I don't know any details, but Ranma and Ryoga engaged us for the first time two days later in the middle of Juuban, in front of a group of spectators. Spectators that, I'm ashamed to admit, they ended up having to defend from the collateral damage from our attacks. They lost that battle, but before they left, they let us know things weren't over. We didn't go after them, figuring we had bigger fish to fry, despite the fact that it took all nine of us to defeat the two of them. The next time we heard from them was almost a year later, when the attacks reached their peak. Kaiser's forces were pressing us hard, most of the JSDF had been wiped out by that time, and most of the inner city of Tokyo had been evacuated due to battle damage. Kaiser was waging a war of attrittion with us, and he was winning."

Setsuna closed her eyes as the memories returned. Memories of streets littered with the bloody corpses of innocent people, their faces forever frozen in abject horror, the air filled with the acrid stench of burnt flesh. "He was sending wave after wave, figuring we'd be exhausted sometime, and he was close to succeeding. Then the attacks suddenly stopped." She looked up, her crimson eyes fixing on Ranma. "We didn't hear anything for two weeks, there were no attacks, nothing. Then Sailor Mercury picked up a tremendous energy spike on Mount Fuji, and when we teleported there to investigate, we found that, according to her calculations, an explosion with close to the energy of a hydrogen bomb went off in the center crater. The attacks never continued, and we later found out that Ranma and Ryoga had spent the past year training…training to defeat Kaiser, and that they'd led a group of martial artists against him in battle. The final stand against Kaiser and Replicator took place on Mount Fuji, and despite the large number of warriors that must have accompanied the two of them, only Ranma and Ryoga walked away. That is all we knew."

The pigtailed martial artist glanced down at his hands. "That wouldn't have been enough. It wasn't, right? We came after you, too."

"Right."

"If everything else was gone," Ranma mused, a sad note to his voice, "I'm surprised we actually lived."

Only Cologne knew what he meant. Ranma and Ryoga, despite their differences, despite Ryoga's temper and delusion, were martial artists with a strict code of honor. Both were willing to die without hesitation if it meant that someone else would survive, and the fact that both of them survived the final confrontation with Kaiser and his lackeys while none of their friends had must be weighing heavily on Ranma's soul. Ignoring Setsuna's confused look, Cologne placed a wrinkled hand on Ranma's.

"You did the best you could," she told him gently.

He looked up at her voice, a wry smile flickering across his face. "How do you know? How do you know we didn't just hide out and let everyone else die?"

"Because I know you, Ranma." Cologne allowed herself one of her rare smiles. "You're not the type who'd give anything less than his best in such a situation, and I'm sure whoever fought with you gave their lives gladly to defeat such an evil."

Ranma looked down, and for a moment, Cologne thought he was going to ignore her words, but then he placed his other hand atop hers. "Thanks, old ghoul. I mean it."

She bopped him on the head in mock annoyance. "Show some respect, boy!" Her voice was stern, but looking into his eyes, she knew he had seen the mirth in hers, and knew that _he_ knew she respected him in kind.

Setsuna found herself smiling at their banter, glad to see that Cologne knew Ranma so well. Now she knew why her loss had hurt him so badly in her time – she was more than a mentor, more than just a teacher to him. She was family, akin to a grandmother, maybe, someone who knew him better than he himself did, it seemed. Someone who had no problems pointing out faults and lifting his spirits. Which was what she was going to tell them even worse.

"You eventually tracked us down," the Senshi of time continued softly, "and by then, somehow, you and Ryoga had grown so powerful that you took on all nine of us at the same time. In the end, only you and I survived that battle." She left unspoken the gruesome ways in which the rest of the Senshi and Ryoga had died, she didn't tell them of the glint of insanity she'd seen in the future Ranma's eyes before something had snapped it back into place and forced him to stop his lethal assault on her. She figured they didn't need to know.

They figured it out, anyway. "So…everyone was dead, eh? Even Ryoga…" Ranma stared down at the tabletop sadly. "I'm surprised we either didn't finish you, or you didn't finish me."

"You were going to," Setsuna replied, her eyes not meeting Ranma's. "You were going to, had your hand raised for the killing blow, but then you stopped." A somber smile made its way onto her lips. "I don't know why, I don't know how you managed to stop yourself, what you felt must've been overwhelming, but somehow you gave me a second chance. That is why I'm here."

"That is quite a story, young one," Cologne commented after a few minutes of silence as the two martial artists mulled over what they'd been told. For some reason Setsuna chuckled at her remark, and at the elder's inquisitive glance, the green-haired woman replied.

"I'm much older than you, despite appereances, so I reckon I should be calling you the young one," Setsuna told her with a smirk.

"Oh?" Cologne arched an eyebrow. A deeper scan had revealed that the woman seemed to be hiding more power than she let on, and there was a faint trace of magic around her, but there wasn't anything spectacular. Of course, she couldn't quite tell what she was like in her Senshi form, since Cologne hadn't actually seen her transform yet.

"I'm over ten millennia old, Elder Cologne. I lost track after that." Setsuna took some satisfaction in seeing the amazon woman's eyes widen to the size of dinner plates. Something about Cologne told her that the amazon elder wasn't easily impressed or surprised, and despite her age being only a fraction of Setsuna's, Cologne seemed to have accumulated a massive amount of knowledge, something that impressed even Setsuna.

Still, it took Cologne only a moment to regain her composure, and she grinned toothily. "That may well be, young one, but age does not necessarily equal maturity, something that son-in-law here demonstrates quite often," she muttered the last part.

"Hey!" Ranma had heard anyway.

"It also doesn't mean you know everything, something son-in-law here _also_ demonstrates quite often," Cologne added with a chuckle. "In fact, he's managed to constantly surprise me with his feats as of late."

Setsuna merely nodded; she knew that for a fact from her previous encounters with the pig-tailed martial artist. The way he seemed to defy the odds and do the impossible bordered on, well, the impossible.

"So, what are you going to do now?" Cologne finally asked, mirth leaving her voice as she became serious.

Ranma met her gaze evenly, determination burning in his eyes. "Isn't it obvious? We're going to plan a war."

"That's all nice and well, Ranma," Cologne chuckled, "but you're overlooking one thing."

"And what's that?" _She called me by my name_, Ranma thought in surprise. It was something of a first, to her he'd always been "son-in-law" ever since Shampoo's first botched attempt to enforce the Kiss of Marriage. He supposed she kept it up even after Jusendo because she figured it irritated him, and that amused her – and she was right, it _did_ irritate him. About as much as his calling her "old ghoul" must've been irritating her.

Cologne hopped off her chair and climbed on top of her cane, then moved to balance next to the chair he was in. "You can't fight a war by yourself. You'll need an army, or allies, at least, and from what it sounds like, with those you already have, you'll need more than a little help with."

"That's why I wanted to talk to you," Ranma nodded. "After the first battle yesterday, I kinda realized I wasn't ready. I…heck, as much as I hate to admit it, Cologne, I need help. Badly. I barely managed to come up with stuff in time to defeat those monsters yesterday."

It was Cologne's turn to be surprised. Ranma wasn't usually one for admitting to faults and asking for help. She reckoned it was a leftover from that idiotic concept of manliness his father had tried to instill in him, but she could count the times Ranma had asked, actually _asked_ for help outright on the fingers of one hand. And she wouldn't even need all of them. "What kind of help, Ranma?"

"Training, ideas, insight, research," Ranma counted off.

"Elaborate." It wasn't often that she saw this side of Ranma – the serious side, the one who took things and threats very seriously, and was prepared to ditch all pretense of machoness and ego in order to do what had to be done, so she figured he deserved her full attention. If the story Setsuna had told them was true – and Cologne believed at the very least the extra-dimensional invasion part of it – then she would aid Ranma to the best of her abilities.

"You know magic better than any of the people I know here," Ranma began at the end of his list, "so I figured, maybe you and Setsuna-san can work together and find a way to, dunno, track these monsters, or find ways to make the Senshi's spells more effective, or give them magic weapons that actually work. Maybe find a way to defeat that Replicator dude, since he can duplicate any attack he absorbs."

Cologne nodded. "I can see what I can do. I'd be able to help more if I had access to the village archives, since I only brought a small collection of books regarding magic, and most of those only deal with the artifacts I brought with me. Most of those are not combat-related, I'm afraid."

"Don't worry, I'm sure we can improvise something. Hey, maybe we can use the Reversal Jewel on that Replicator guy!"

Cologne blinked at the suggestion. The idea was crazy, but…"I'll have to consider that. Knowing you, Ranma, that idea is so crazy it might just work."

"You've also got more experience that anyone else in Nerima, so your help with figuring out the enemy's objectives and tactics would help a lot," Ranma continued, "and finally, I need some help training."

"Training the Senshi, you mean?"

The Saotome heir shook his head. "Not just that. I need you to train me, and hopefully Ryoga. We're going to need new techniques, we'll need to get stronger, tougher, faster…and we'll need to learn tactics and strategy. Especially group tactics, if we're really going to have large-scale battles."

"Why just you and Ryoga? I'm sure if you asked, a lot of people would help, even Shampoo and Mousse." Cologne frowned; what he was suggesting was a lot of work to be done, and, according to his estimates, they were running out of valuable time.

Ranma smiled wryly. "Nothing personal against them, but do you honestly think that if me or Ryoga went all-out, Shampoo or Mousse could keep up with us?"

"Good point."

"Training them up to this level would take too much time, time that'd probably be better spent on other things."

Cologne nodded reluctantly in agreement. "You're right. Well, as for training these Senshi, I can see what I can work into my schedule. I suppose I could leave the restaurant to Mousse and Shampoo for a while to work with them."

"You won't be doing it alone, I'm going to be teaching them, too," Ranma added.

"I can help, too."

Both martial artists turned to Setsuna, who'd spoken up for the first time since the end of her narrative. The green-haired woman shrugged. "I know I'm not nearly as good as Ranma or Ryoga, but I've got extensive training the martial arts, and I was able to fare pretty decently in my time against either of them. I didn't beat them, but…" _but I didn't die, either,_ she finished mentally.

"Good," Cologne nodded, "and while you are working with the rest of your friends, I can begin training Ranma and Ryoga, and while I am working with them, you can teach him the techniques you were talking about earlier." Cologne leaned forward thoughtfully. "That leaves only two problems."

"Which are?" Ranma asked.

"How are you going to make time for training with all the people from Nerima chasing you?"

The pig-tailed martial artist glanced over at Setsuna. "Nabiki has offered to run interference, and I'm pretty sure I can work something out that'll get them to leave me alone. Ryoga is the only one I can't really hide from, what with his tendency to pop out of the woodwork at random, and all."

"That brings us to issue number two," Cologne continued. "How are you going to convince young Hibiki to help you?"

"That, uh…" Ranma scratched the base of his pig-tail. "That's something I haven't quite worked out yet…"

V--------------------V

The rest of the day passed rather quietly until the set meeting time of two o'clock in the afternoon. It was a new feeling for Ranma; his life rarely afforded him any peace and quiet, but surprisingly, during the few hours since his meeting with Cologne, not a single lunatic had stopped by and yelled a challenge, Akane hadn't been kidnapped, and there hadn't been another invasion.

He and Cologne had agreed that she would meet him at the shrine for the first training session, but she would remain hidden in the background to observe the way he handled the Senshi. If nothing else, this would give her the opportunity to observe his teaching methods and gauge the girls' progress so that they could compare notes afterwards. Both of them agreed that springing too many strangers on the Senshi in such a short time would not be a good idea, though, considering the tight schedule they were working on, they would have to meet Cologne soon.

Setsuna had left after their meeting in the morning to arrange "things," as she had put it, and had promised to meet Ranma at the shrine with whatever training gear he'd need – from dummies to mats to shinai and bokken. Ranma pulled a grimace at the last item, as the wooden swords reminded him of Kuno, but Setsuna had brought up the fact that a number of the Senshi – herself included – fought with weapons, and since Ranma did know the basics of kendo, it might be profitable for him to work on their weapon techniques, as well.

As he climbed the steps to the shrine, Ranma mentally went over what he'd planned for this meeting. Absently, he could feel Cologne's ki trailing him, her small body carefully hidden by the trees that lined the entrance to the shrine. This time, he'd probably only get around to gauging their strengths and abilities – magical and natural – before he'd have to sit down with Cologne and Setsuna to discuss where each one of them would need improvements. Also, Ranma would need more in-depth knowledge about their enemy that Setsuna hadn't been able to provide that morning, so that he and Cologne could prepare specific ways to counter their opponents. He just prayed that during the few hours he'd set aside this afternoon none of his rivals or fiancées would show up. Of course, knowing his life, they'd barge in at exactly the wrong moment, and things would go to hell from there.

At least this time, he'd have Cologne on his side to help pound whoever it was that came to bug him, which most likely would be Ryoga. In fact, Ranma thought with a mischievous smirk, Ryoga showing up might be a good thing, after all. Maybe a demonstration would help…facilitate the girls' cooperation. He'd have to make sure to limit collateral damage, of course…

As he stepped around the shrine to enter the yard behind it, he was surprised but delighted to see that it opened up to a forest, something that would make training easier and less conspicuous. To his surprise, all nine girls were arrayed before him in a line, along with a young man who appeared to be in his mid-twenties, and who had an arm wrapped around the shortest blonde's shoulders. Usagi, Ranma remembered, was her name, though Setsuna had referred to her as "Princess Serenity," and from Nabiki, Ranma had found out that her alias was Sailor Moon.

Ten pairs of eyes trained themselves on the pigtailed martial artist as he moved to stand in front of them. Ranma took his time in letting his eyes wander over the girls, trying to assess their combat potential as they were now, and he suppressed a disgusted snort at what he found.

"Sailor Uranus," he decided to start at the end of the line. "Karate, second dan, but you've obviously degenerated to street-brawling. Your stamina and power are lacking, so we'll work on that. I don't know much about longsword techniques, but we'll figure something out for you to use that stick of yours effectively. Air elemental." _And we've got to work on that attitude of hers_, Ranma silently added to himself. Most of the information had come from Nabiki, who surprisingly by noon had managed to hand over a file – more like a compendium – of notes and observations about the Senshi, from their aliases, planetary bindings, to their magical elements. Nabiki was nothing if not thorough.

He continued with the next girl. To the blonde Senshi's left stood a small girl whom Ranma guessed couldn't be more than fourteen or fifteen, with her short black hair in a pageboy cut that reminded him of Nabiki. The youngest of the Senshi was easiest to recognize, and Ranma had to suppress a chuckle at the fact that the old adage that appereances could be deceiving held true once again. No one would suspect that the youngest, most frail-looking girl of the group was the most powerful. Even Nabiki's sources had had trouble sorting out her element, only describing it as a devastatingly powerful energy attack with allegedly enough power to rip apart entire city blocks. "Sailor Saturn," Ranma acknowledged, "we'll do little hand-to-hand training with you, but you need to build stamina, speed, and some strength, if you want to wield that glaive of yours effectively. I know some naginata-do that we can accommodate." Despite her appereance, Ranma suspected that Hotaru, as Setsuna had introduced her, was probably one of the most combat-capable ones of the group, mainly because, despite being a weapons-user, she actually seemed to have an inkling on how to wield her weapon.

"Sailor Neptune," Ranma continued down the line. According to Nabiki's file, Neptune controlled the element of water, and was able to conjure up huge deluges of liquid with her artifact, some kind of magical mirror. One look at her stance gave Ranma all the indication he needed. This girl was no fighter by nature. Unlike Uranus, Mars, and Jupiter, who all enjoyed training in the martial arts, Neptune wasn't suited for it, and her ki reminded Ranma of Kasumi, with her gentle, caring nature. Still, her power potential was significant, and they couldn't afford to leave a capable fighter on the sidelines just because she didn't have the right mindset to fight. "We'll need to work on your aggression. You're too passive in most situations. There's a few things I think we can do with your powers, but that'll have to wait until I have a better grasp on what you can actually do."

The next girl was the black-haired heir to the shrine they were at. "Sailor Mars." Ranma nodded. The girl had some training in martial arts, and her training as a shrine maiden had boosted her ki reserves to somewhat above average, but she had the same problem as Akane, though not quite as severe. "Your temper needs work. You're too hot-headed in battle, and that could cost you. Also, we'll need to work on your speed and concentration, since you loose focus so easily." In addition to that, he could see that both he and Cologne would have a hell of a time drilling all of the girls in the basics of unarmed combat, since only two of them had weapons, and even those that had training weren't really using any of it in their fights with monsters.

"Sailor Venus." Ranma arched an eyebrow at the second of three blondes in the group. According to Nabiki's sources, Venus used a rather odd weapon – a chain consisting of heart-shaped links. While Ranma could see the potential uses for a chain as a weapon, he couldn't help but thinking _why did it have to be heart-shaped? Can't they pick something that ain't this corny?_ "Nunchuks for you. You're no good with that chain of yours right now. Also, since your attacks are more area-based, you'll be getting some advanced tactical training for providing fire support."

The next girl was the brunette. "Sailor Jupiter. Earth-based element, first dan kempo." Jupiter was a little more in shape with regards to her unarmed combat skills, but she was still a far cry from being in the same league as Ukyo or Shampoo, even, and her ki reserves were mediocre, at best. Clearly, she'd focused more on the forms during her training, and neglected to do the breathing and control excercises that came along with them to strengthen her ki. "Advanced hand-to-hand combat training for you, along with speed, strength, and stamina training. We'll have to give you and Mars a crash-course in ki manipulation, but we'll focus mainly on making your attacks more effective." Still, despite her faults, she seemed to be a better fighter than Mars, mainly because she could remain calm in battle.

"Sailor Mercury. Ice-based element." The blue-haired girl had very little combat potential – in fact, she was even less suited for combat than Neptune, and Ranma was seriously questioning whether to waste time and effort to train her, at all. "Advanced tactical training for you," he finally decided. With her computer and quick mind, she'd be of more use coordinating the battle and strategy than in a fight. She would have to stay out of harm's way, and only really fight as a last resort. Satisfied with that analysis, Ranma nodded to himself; this approach would make the most of her talents. "You'll be the main strategist and analyst. We'll train you in pre- and post-mission briefings, and we'll rely on you to accurately analyze our battles, determine the most efficient strategy to deal with the enemy, and plan countermeasures against future incursions."

Setsuna was next, which was odd, because Ranma had believed she was a part of what Nabiki's notes had termed the "Outer Senshi," composed of the Senshi representing the planets of the outer solar system. However, here she was, standing between Mercury and Moon, on the opposite end of her fellow Outer Senshi. "Pluto," he said, "advanced unarmed combat training. We'll work on kempo and bojutsu with you, but you'll need some additional speed training."

"What?" Setsuna blinked, unable to stop the question before it left her mouth. She hadn't actually planned on questioning Ranma on his training methods, but when he suggested that her speed wasn't up to par, surprise had moved her tongue before she could hold it in check, especially since she'd been able to hold her own against the Ranma in her timeline, for a while. Now Ranma was shooting her an evaluating glance.

"You can compress time, yes?"

Again, Setsuna was forced to blink in surprise before she answered. "Yes. How'd you figure that out?" She didn't think Nabiki had that in her file. The Nabiki of this timeline still hadn't dug as deeply as the one in hers, so Setsuna was pretty confident that while she knew a lot about the Senshi, the effects of their individual attacks was still mostly unknown.

"Your shield bubble-thingie the other day," Ranma smirked. "I first thought you were stopping time, because everyone outside was standing still, but I just realized that they weren't quite standing still. They were moving ever so slightly. Nabiki ran the numbers for me, and she told me that the amount of energy it would take to actually stop time entirely would be ridiculously huge compared to the amount it would take to merely slow it down or speed it up. Considering one of your attacks speeds up time, I figured you had just slowed time to maybe a thousandth of its usual speed inside the bubble. The ki outside wasn't frozen still, but still flowing, still in motion."

"Wha-" Setsuna was speechless for one of the few times in her long years. True, anyone who wasn't familiar with her powers and didn't know that stopping time actually killed her would've thought that the combination defensive spell she'd come up with actually stopped time outside of her shield bubble, but Ranma had picked up on the minuscule movement on the outside. While her _Garnet Ball_ was merely a shield spell, she'd quickly learned during her fights with Ranma that she needed the added advantage of compressed time around her if she wanted to keep up with him in terms of pure speed; she had also not wanted to forsake the protection of her temporal shield, so she'd combined the two to create her temporal bubble, though she still didn't have an inkling as to how Ranma had managed to disrupt it. She'd have to ask him about it later.

"So do it." Ranma ordered. Setsuna merely stared at him for a moment, until he repeated his command. "Go ahead, transform, do that fancy slowing down time thingie you do."

Not really knowing what to expect, Setsuna held out her henshin pen and transformed in a quick flash of light. As soon as she felt her garnet rod in her hand, she called upon her magic and expanded the flow of time around her, effectively slowing down everything around her enough for her to react to. She could see Ranma turning to the other Senshi in slow motion, and heard his words. "Now," he said, "what I assume she's doing is stretching out the time around her while accelerating her body's own internal clock. The effect would stack, giving her more time to react while at the same time enhancing her own reaction time."

Setsuna barely managed to hide her amazement that he'd so accurately determined her abilities when suddenly a blur of motion stopped right in front of her face, only millimeters from her nose. She stared down in shock at the fist, along the arm, shoulder, and up into the stormy blue eyes of the pigtailed martial artist. _Damn_, she thought, _I'm in compressed time, and it was _still _barely enough for me to see! I could probably beat him in speed right now…barely, but I wouldn't want to bet on that._

Ranma pulled back his fist after seeing the realization in Setsuna's eyes, and nodded, careful to hide the effort it had taken him to move his fist that fast. It had probably been the fastest punch he'd ever thrown, at speeds far beyond the _Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken_, and that one punch had cost him much of his ki-reserves, but he'd had to make a point. Only now did he realize the other girls were cowering on the ground and that there was a patch of upturned earth around him where the shockwave of his fist breaking the sound barrier had struck the ground.

"I understand," Setsuna said softly. The one punch, which had been blurred to her eyes, must have seemed invisible to the rest of the Senshi. If Ranma could throw out something like this at this point in his training, then he was right, she needed speed training.

The pigtailed martial artist turned towards the last girl in the group. "Sailor Moon. Balance, coordination, and stamina. Your magic seems to be the most powerful, so you'll be our figurative magical Howitzer." Ranma did a double-take as he read the girl's ki. If Neptune and Mercury weren't suited for fighting, then Moon should never be let even close to a battlefield! He could sense the girl was kind, but from what he'd seen, she was clumsy, unfocused, and didn't really have any inclination to fight, much less any _idea_ how to fight, beyond just throwing her magic at the enemy. He sighed as he could see there was going to be a lot of work coming up for him and Cologne.

"And you are…?" Ranma turned towards the last in line.

"Tuxedo Kamen," he introduced himself, as if that would answer all of the Saotome heir's questions about life, death, and the universe.

Ranma eyed him closely. His ki indicated he had some training, but it probably was for a weapons style. Other than that, his magical signature, that was so strong with the girls, was almost negligible. Nabiki's file had mentioned a Tuxedo Kamen, and that he was engaged to Sailor Moon and that he acted as something of her protector, but looking at this scrawny young man, Ranma strongly hoped that he didn't run around in a tuxedo yelling out stupid speeches, or something. At least he wouldn't be as bad as Kuno. _No one_ could be as bad as Kuno, with his flowery speech, slaughtering of Shakespeare, and thrown roses. _No one_. So he hoped, anyway.

Turning to face the group as a whole, he continued his assessment. "You all are going to need extensive practice in how to use your abilities on the move. So far, all you've managed to do is fire off a single magic attack while standing still. When I'm through with you, you'll be able to prime and fire at least three while you're on the move and dodging incoming fire. Some of you will not receive as extensive unarmed training as others," he glanced at Saturn, Pluto, and Mercury, "while others will be trained until they are capable of holding their own against me or Setsuna for at least ten minutes. We'll also be doing some research into your magical abilities, and come up with new attacks for you that combine and utilize your elemental magic to the greatest possible effect with the least effort required." Ranma took a deep breath. "And we only have a few weeks to do so."


	9. Chapter Eight

**Author's Notes:** I just realized some story/timeline inconsistencies in this chapter that surprisingly no one picked up on (or if they did, they didn't let me know). Here's the fixed version, as of May 16, 2009.

Chapter Eight

"Ranma! Where are you!" Akane's voice boomed throughout the Tendo home, causing a number of people to wince and cover their ears. Kasumi, as cheerful as ever, smiled as her youngest sisters came down the stairs fuming, and continued to set the lunch table.

"He's gone on a training trip, Akane-chan," Kasumi said as Akane sat down. "Don't you remember? You read his note, didn't you?"

"Right, that's why he went off and had to show up on TV with the Senshi!" Akane huffed in dismay. "I bet the pervert's just trying to get them to-"

"Or maybe Ranma-kun just ran across them needing help on his training trip," Nabiki commented as she came down the stairs.

Akane glared at her sister. "Like that pervert could actually _help_ the Senshi, don't make me laugh. I bet you he's just using his training trip as an excuse to go grope other women, I swear he's worse than Happosai! I mean, why else would he go alone?!"

"Maybe, Akane-chan," Kasumi replied calmly, "because he didn't want the fathers to push you to come along, or them to come along, themselves. You do realize he said he probably wouldn't be back for a few weeks."

"You do know how that would've ended, right?" The middle Tendo daughter settled in at the table as Kasumi began serving lunch. Nabiki had been planning to tell Kasumi that Ranma had stopped by earlier, and that she might be meeting with him later that day, but with Akane there, that would have to wait. At least she'd managed to pass on all the information she'd managed to gather on the Senshi. Nabiki shuddered, it had cost her a small fortune to consolidate all that information on such short notice, but considering what Ranma seemed to believe they were up against, it would be an investment well worth it. Of course, just because he now had everything she could find out within a day, didn't mean that she would stop digging. She still didn't fully trust Setsuna, but Ranma had assured her that he'd met with Cologne earlier this morning and that they'd be working out a plan.

Lunch passed silently, with Akane still fuming about her fiancee's absence, but no one really took notice. Soun and Genma were surprisingly quiet, both of the elder Tendo sisters would have figured that they would have continued their crazy plans to retrieve Ranma and have him married to Akane from the day before.

"Soun, old friend," Genma finally said, "I've been thinking."

_Didn't think you could,_ Nabiki thought to herself.

Without waiting for the Tendo patriarch to acknowledge him, Genma continued. "The whole situation with Ranma at this point is rather complicated, and after what happened a few months ago, he's been different. Maybe he should talk to Nodoka, she might be able to talk some sense into him, you know, get him to fulfill his duty and marry Akane."

"Hmm." Tendo Soun nodded thoughtfully. "You may be right, Genma. All of the pushing and shoving on our part hasn't worked so far, maybe his mother will be able to do something. Maybe if we tell her how dishonorable and deplorable he's been acting, in not marrying Akane. She'll be able to do something about it."

"You mean like cutting off his head, yes?" That, surprisingly, had come from Kasumi, who had beaten Nabiki to it by only a moment's hesitation. Both men looked up, surprised at the frosty tone in Kasumi's voice. Of course, to anyone else she merely sounded a little less cheerful than usual, but for the ever-unflappable Kasumi, that slight drop in tone indicated substantial displeasure. Nabiki smirked and decided to merely sit back and watch her older sister hand it to the two men. She knew Kasumi had been strongly opposed to the seppuku contract Genma had revealed; her will to keep Ranma alive was strong enough to actually bring her to convincingly lie to Nodoka every time the Saotome matriarch came around for a visit before she'd found out, and _that_ took quite something, especially considering that Kasumi never lied.

Their father looked stunned for a moment, before replying. "No, Kasumi-chan, I'd never actually endanger Ranma-kun's life, but a talk with his mother might do him some good. He listens to her more than anyone else."

"And insinuating that Ranma-kun is acting dishonorably wouldn't?" Kasumi fixed a stare on her father.

"B-b-but no one would tell her that! All she'd do is talk some sense into him, get him to fulfill his honor-bound duty!" Soun protested.

"And we all know Ranma-kun's luck," Nabiki chimed in with a smirk. "Knowing his luck, someone's going to blurt it out by accident, or he's going to get attacked on purpose." She glanced at Akane meaningfully.

Kasumi nodded in agreement. "You do seem to have a tendency to accuse and hit Ranma-kun before thinking things through, Akane-chan."

"So? He makes me so mad sometimes, he deserves it!" Akane huffed. "What's that have to do with anything?"

"Hmmm…think about it, Akane-chan," Nabiki commented from her side of the table. "He says something you don't like while he's talking to his mother, and you go smack him into the koi pond. Now, his mother can handle the transformation, but she doesn't need you telling her how much of a pervert he is – he gets enough of that crap from his father. Ranma can seriously handle everyone else, but you're the only one whose attacks he never dodges." Upon Akane's blank stare, Nabiki sighed and continued. "Ranma goes into koi pond, Ranko comes out, and you're yelling accusations. What do you think Auntie Nodoka is going to think then, hmm?"

"Are you saying I'm violent?"

"Actually, imouto-chan, I am." Nabiki held Akane's glare, and smirked. It'd take a lot more than that to intimidate her, after all. Knowing she'd lost the argument, Akane huffed and returned to eating.

Kasumi and Nabiki shared a glance, and the elder sister nodded ever so slightly. Nabiki chuckled and put down her chopsticks when she was done. "I'm going out to a friend's place today, and I'll probably be out late," she announced.

No one really paid any attention; it was Sunday, after all, and Akane wasn't the only one who frequently went out on her free days. A few minutes later, everyone had left the dining room except for Nabiki and Kasumi, when the older sister settled down across from Nabiki, who hadn't moved from her spot at the table.

"So, what's bothering you, Nabiki-chan?"

"Am I that obvious?"

Kasumi giggled. "Not really, but remember, I taught you. I know that expression."

"Good point." Nabiki sighed. "Ranma-kun's meeting up with the girls to train today."

"But that's good, isn't it?"

The younger of the two shrugged. "Under normal circumstances, yes. You know, he asked for my help. And he asked Cologne for help. That alone means that he's taking things very seriously. I haven't told anyone yet, but he stopped by earlier today, maybe two hours ago, asking me if I could help him find out as much as I could about the Senshi." Nabiki allowed herself a satisfied smirk. "Of course, I was a step ahead and had as much as I could compiled already, but what scares me, onee-chan, is the fact that some of them are supposed to be really, really powerful. One of them is rumored to be able to level entire cityblocks with ease, and if that's not enough against what we're going to be facing, then…"

"I think you're looking at it the wrong way, imouto-chan." Kasumi placed a calming hand on her sister's shoulder. Showing such worry was very unlike Nabiki, though Kasumi had guessed something about what Ranma had told her had been nagging her. Of course, she didn't have all the details, she only knew that Ranma was now involved in a struggle against something that even the famed Sailor Senshi had trouble dealing with. However, she had lived long enough with Ranma to know one thing about him, and that was that if the pigtailed martial artist put his mind to something, then there wasn't anything on the planet that could stop him.

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is that yes, the Senshi are most likely unbelievably powerful, however, from what Ranma told us last night, there is something that they're lacking, something that allows him to keep up with and surpass them, even. His skill." Kasumi smiled. "They are very strong, that is true, however, strength alone means nothing if you do not know how to apply it. That is the concept behind martial arts, right? That is why the Senshi need Ranma to help them, because he can show them how to use their powers better."

"Do you think he can do it?" Nabiki sighed. "I mean, I know he's really good and all, but from what that Setsuna woman tells me they're going up against someone who's bent on world domination – and actually prepared for total, all-out war." Ranma had given her a brief overview of the situation when he'd come to pick up the information on the Senshi, and what he'd told her hadn't been encouraging.

"Have you ever seen Ranma loose when it really counts?" Kasumi countered.

Nabiki thought for a moment, then shook her head. "No, not realy. Sure, he's lost a few fights here and there, when he first meets a new opponent. But you're right, I've never seen him loose when it really mattered."

"Then there's your answer."

The sisters remained silent for a long moment, until Kasumi broke it again. "So, are you going to go see him later today?"

Nabiki nodded. "He said he's meeting with the Senshi at two," she glanced at her wristwatch. "I don't know how long it'll be, but I'm willing to bet he's going to go back to Cologne's afterward. They've got quite a bit of stuff to work out."

"So you'll meet him at the Neko-Hanten?"

"No, I think I'll go see how the training is going. If I leave now, I'll be able to make it to Juuban in an hour. I think I know where they're meeting, and you know the boy's hopeless when you leave him alone with a bunch of girls he doesn't consider family."

Kasumi pursed her lips. "I don't really think Ranma needs a chaperone, Nabiki. You know how honorable he is."

"True, but that won't save him from putting his foot in his mouth," Nabiki giggled. "Besides, I did promise to do my best to keep the others off his back. Might as well start the rumor mill right now, what do you think?"

Kasumi smiled mischievously. "What exactly did you have in mind, onee-chan?"

Nabiki smirked and leaned in close. "Well, Cologne will probably be able to keep Shampoo and Mousse in line, so the main problems are Kuno and Akane. Now, I had this idea…"

* * *

Akane hadn't exactly been in the best of moods ever since Ranma had up and left, leaving on a rather vague note that he would be gone on a training trip for a few weeks. So the pigtailed martial artist had only been missing since two days ago, and only since the afternoon, which wasn't really cause for concern. In fact, Akane hadn't even minded his absence, as it gave her some peace around the house. That is, until she had seen the newsfeed of a youma incursion in Juuban ward. That in itself wasn't anything new, after all Juuban was known to be a hub of extradimensional activity for some reason, and the Sailor Senshi had reached a status of some fame and notoriety that had spread throughout most of Tokyo. Akane slammed the door behind her as she entered her room, and sat down heavily on her bed.

No, what had Akane riled up was the fact that the newsfeed had shown the Senshi loosing rather badly to this new enemy, something Akane couldn't really understand. Ever since the Senshi had first showed up on the public radar a few years ago, she had been a fan of them, enamoured with the idea of a group of girls fighting for lofty ideals such as love and justice, and completely entranced with the power they so effortlessly wielded in the defense of Earth. The fact that they seemed so high above other "mortals" such as martial artists and other would-be defenders only added to her fascination with them, and the romance certainly was an allure of its own. Akane sighed dreamily as she thought of Tuxedo Kamen. While the man was more of a mystery than the rest of the Senshi – after all, he didn't appear to just any old battle, no, he only came when the ladies were in real, mortal danger – there was enough known about him that the public was aware that he was the bethrothed of Sailor Moon, and that apparently, he was tall, handsome, and chivalrous.

_Not like that jerk that I'm supposed to marry_, Akane snorted in disdain. She rather idolized the Senshi, for being what they were – public figures that were well-liked, powerful fighters, and loved and adored everywhere. _I would love to be one of them. Fight for love and justice once, and show all these stupid boys what I'm made of._ But even Akane was rooted in reality enough to realize that she wasn't even close to the Senshi in terms of raw power. They were people who could level buildings with a flick of their wrists, and send vile creatures running from them in abject terror with only a glare. In short, they were everything Akane had ever wanted to be.

The news broadcast of the battle the day before had shattered many of Akane's illusions. She had believed the Senshi to be invincible, able to overcome any threat that presented itself to them – after all, they appeared confident enough for it the few times reporters had managed to garner comments from them. Their magic was so powerful that collateral damage was almost always an issue; who would even think to stand against that kind of firepower? Then the TV had come on, Nabiki's urgent voice calling Kasumi from the kitchen. The eldest Tendo daughter had let out a horrified gasp that had attracted Akane, and she had come pounding down the stairs to the living room.

Only to promptly freeze in shock at the scene on the TV. The image was slightly blurred and shaky, the cameraman most likely shaking in terror at the scene before him. It was clear enough to see that three of the Senshi were pouring their attacks into a giant hole in the ground, to no avail. Akane couldn't tear her eyes away from the screen as the new youma tore through the Senshi's assault as if it were nothing more than a slight breeze, knocking them aside with frightening ease as it prepared to impale a figure in a red and white fuku. Akane wasn't scared of many things, and part of that was due to her overconfidence as a martial artist, as well as the fact that usually her rage overrode her fear. But watching as the youma mercilessly worked its way through the Senshi, Akane was afraid, because if the Senshi couldn't handle them, then nothing and no one could.

But then someone had come to the Senshi's rescue, and Akane had heaved a sigh of relief, because with the new arrival's help, they had managed to beat back the youma. She had been ecstatic to find out who the newcomer was, whether it was a new Senshi, because the camera had been too far away and too shaky to get a good look. Her heart sank when she saw a familiar whirlwind break out. There were only three people in Tokyo who could create a ki-tornado like that, and only two of them could actually do it – and she didn't think that it was Cologne. Akane hadn't stayed to watch the rest of the newsfeed, running up to her room instead where she had cried out her anger and frustration at having _Ranma_ of all people defile her personal heroines.

She was disbelieving at first, trying to tell herself she'd imagined the fact that her fiancee had just single-handedly managed to save the Sailor Senshi, trying to ignore what it meant – that he'd made a public mockery out of them, that he'd presented them to the public as unable to do their duties. She'd thrown a tantrum, throwing things against the wall, wishing the pigtailed young man was there for her to pound on. Anger had slowly mixed with jealousy as she realized that Ranma now knew the Senshi, had met them, while she, Akane, their greatest fan, had never even caught a glimpse of them except on TV. She'd spilled her guts to P-chan, who had shown up sometime during her rage, only to disappear shortly thereafter, not that Akane really cared at that moment.

When she heard Nabiki come up the stairs, Akane rose from her bed, intent on asking her older sister to find Ranma for her – no matter what the price. The Saotome heir had a lot to answer for, in her mind, and his absence right around the time of the attack and his presence there were highly suspicious. Akane had gone through numerous theories, ranging from Ranma conspiring with the extra-dimensional invaders to set this up so he could infiltrate the Senshi, to Ranma being a jerk again and interfering with a fight that wasn't his. Ranma was gone, she didn't know why, and she would find out. One way or another. And then she'd give him a piece of her mind for running off on her and daring to interfere with the Senshi's battle.

"Come in," Nabiki replied to the knock on her door, and Akane stuck her head in. "What can I do for you, Akane-chan?" the middle sister asked with a knowing smirk.

"I want you to find me Ranma," Akane demanded as she fully entered. "I'll give you my entire allowance."

Nabiki appeared to think about it for a moment before shaking her head. "Now, Akane-chan, I'm afraid I can't do that."

"Why? Is it not enough money? I'll give you next week's allowance, too!"

"Because," Nabiki glared at her sister, "I have no idea where Ranma-kun is." It was a lie, of course. She had a pretty good idea where Ranma was at the moment, though she had no idea where he would be staying – she would have to ask him later.

Akane grinned. "But you can find out. You always find out, Nabiki. Come on, I'll give you all the money I have!"

"No, Akane, not this time."

"But why?" Akane growled. "That pervert is hanging out with the Sailor Senshi, I bet you he's all over them by now if I'm not there to control him! Please, Nabiki, you've gotta tell me where he is!"

"For who?"

"What?" Akane looked confused.

"For whose sake," the brunette elaborated. "For the Senshi's? For yours? You know I don't do things like that anymore, unless they're absolutely necessary, Akane. I haven't in a long time." Since Jusendo, in fact, Nabiki mentally added. The day Ranma had come home having saved her sister from death, the day she had realized that Ranma was family, the day he had killed a demi-god for her sister, she had begun re-evaluating her life. She owed the pigtailed martial artist at least that much for saving her sister.

"Well…" Akane didn't quite know how to reply to that.

"Did it ever occur to you, Akane-chan, to trust Ranma?" Nabiki prodded, "That maybe he knows what he's doing? That he's doing what he has to? That maybe he went on this training trip for a reason, and that maybe he actually _is_ on that training trip, as opposed to chasing skirts?"

The youngest Tendo sister merely snorted in disgust. "Trust him? Are you kidding? Of _course_ he's chasing skirts, you know him, Nabiki."

"Exactly, Akane. I _know_ Ranma. Which is how I know he's not chasing girls."

"You know something." Akane glared at her sister suspiciously. "You know what he's up to, or where he is."

"Whatever gave you that idea?" Nabiki replied loftily, shaking her head disdainfully.

"Since when have you ever trusted Ranma?" Akane countered. "You've never missed a chance to make money off of him, so either he's paid you for your silence because you know, or he's paid you to stay away from him." She crossed her arms in front of her chest victoriously. "Whatever he's paid you, it's not enough! I'll tell Kuno you know where his pigtailed girl is and he'll be paying you more than that pervert could ever afford."

The slap that snapped Akane's head around had a surprising amount of force behind it, and the youngest could only stare in shock as Nabiki stood before her, seemingly towering, as her eyes blazed with fury, and Akane could swear there was a battle-aura forming around her sister. "Listen, Akane," Nabiki hissed dangerously, "I know that I've done a lot of things to Ranma, including selling him out, but those days are over. I owe him a debt I can never repay for saving your life, and I swore to him and to myself that I'd turn my life around. Everyone at school has gotten it. Ranma has gotten it. Even _Kuno_ has gotten the fact that I'm no longer a mercenary for hire. You seem to be the only one stuck in your own world!"

"But-but-"

"I promised Ranma I would not go after him, and he told me this is important. Unlike you, I trust his word, and if you had just an ounce of intelligence in your brain, then you would realize that the boy can't lie to save his life, nevermind the fact that he's much too honorable for his own good!"

"You've got to find him!" Akane cried, her own surprise and hurt over the slap and her sister's scorn turning into anger. "Like anyone believes you've changed, Nabiki, I bet the only thing that's changed is your prices!"

"I keep my word, Akane. I will not sell out Ranma-kun, and you're a fool if you believe otherwise."

"Daddy and Uncle Saotome aren't going to like that you're not going to help find Ranma," Akane noted gleefully, causing Nabiki to arch an eyebrow.

"Is that a threat?"

"And just think what Shampoo and Ukyo are going to say…and Kuno…hehehe…"

"_Enough_!" Nabiki snarled, the venom in her voice enough to cause Akane pause. "You won't get me to tell you or anyone else where Ranma is. What he's doing is important, too important to let you nitwits ruin it because you were so caught up in your bickering over him you couldn't see the big picture!"

"Tell me where he is!" Akane screamed, her hands twitching into fists as her own battle-aura erupted around her.

"Or what?" Nabiki glared back. "You'll hit me with your mallet like you do Ranma all the time?"

"I'll-"

"Wake up, Akane. The world doesn't revolve around you. We don't all exist to merely serve you, you know."

For a moment, Nabiki was tempted to close her eyes as her sister truly did look angry enough to strike her, but she forced herself to meet her angry glare with equal venom. It wouldn't do to back down now, to show Akane weakness – that, after all, had led to exacerbating her problems. No, her sister would have to realize there were lines she shouldn't cross, and by insulting all the progress Nabiki had been trying to make in turning her life around, she had crossed a _very_ dangerous line. Her childish behavior couldn't go on any further, and Nabiki knew that Kasumi agreed. Unfortunately, Akane had been able to get away with too much for too long, and it would take a rather significant effort to turn her back into someone who wouldn't try and bully her way to what she wanted.

"Just you wait, I'll find him myself! I don't need you stupid help, anyway," Akane huffed as she stormed away, slamming the door behind her. Nabiki allowed herself a wince as she heard the door plaque with her name on it fall to the floor. With a sigh, she began implementing the plan she and Kasumi had worked out, and an evil grin spread across her face as she thought about it. She herself would be gone most of the day, and Kasumi had agreed to help, so the eldest would be out, as well – which left Akane to cook for the fathers. Nabiki cackled lowly…it wasn't as if the fathers didn't deserve it, after all, and she truly wished she could see their faces when they found out. It was bound to be _highly_ amusing. For now, she had a plan to implement, and she also had to figure out a way to distract Akane.

_I wonder if the Hentai Horde would still be interested,_ Nabiki mused absently.

* * *

The sight that greeted Nabiki when she finally walked around the back of Juuban's Hikawa Shrine wasn't quite what Nabiki had been expecting. To be honest, Nabiki didn't know just exactly _what_ to expect when Ranma had said he would be training the Senshi, but she certainly hadn't been expecting four of them to be laying on the ground in near-unconsciousness, while Ranma was shouting expletives as the rest of the Senshi attempted to hit him. Cologne was nearby, watching the proceedings with obvious amusement, and the old woman was cackling madly on occasion. Whatever Nabiki had thought Ranma would be doing with the Senshi, well…it wasn't _this_.Whatever _this_ was.

Cologne had noticed her arrival, and waved her over. Nabiki didn't really spare a thought as to why Cologne was hiding in the bushes that surrounded the yard, but obliged and walked over. "So…what's going on here?" she asked when she reached the Amazon elder.

The ancient woman cackled loudly when a near miss by one of the Senshi annihilated an unfortunate tree, then turned to explain. "They've been at this for the last hour or so. It appears son-in-law believes that the fastest way to train them, since they do have magically enhanced stamina, is non-stop fighting. I happen to agree with him, even if I don't necessarily think it's wise for him to take on all nine at the same time. But as you can see, he's doing rather well."

"And what about them?" Nabiki gestured towards the almost comatose Senshi that were laying on the grass away from the battle.

"Oh, those are the ones that went down already. He's holding back, otherwise _all_ of them would be out for the count by now, but the point of the exercise is to help them improve, not beat them senseless." Cologne waved it off. "It actually started out as an evaluation." Ranma fired off a rapid series of ki blasts around him, causing dirt to fly up into the air around him. Using it as a smoke screen, he managed to land a vicious drop-kick against Sailor Venus, sending her tumbling. "Though I think he's putting on the show for my benefit, to give us both an idea of what they're capable of," the elder amended.

"An evaluation, eh?" Nabiki chuckled. "I suppose that is what it is for Ranma. I get the feeling that the girls are seeing it more as…torture."

Cologne cackled, and in the distance, Ranma managed to effectively remove Sailor Mars from the fight with a point-blank ki blast. The black-haired girl flew a few dozen paces before crashing to the ground. She didn't get back up. "I'd agree with you on that, however, if these girls think that this is bad, they will be in for a rather nasty surprise."

Nabiki nodded, believing it; Cologne wasn't the matriarch of the Joketsuzoku for nothing, and if their training methods for other techniques were even close to those for the _Bakusai Tenketsu_, then the Senshi were in for a world of hurt. They watched the remainder of the fight in silence, and Ranma made short work of the rest of the Senshi, leaving only himself and Setsuna standing on the field. They briefly spoke, then engaged each other, at a level the other Senshi weren't even close to matching, even with their transformation benefits. Ranma and Setsuna were both blurs of motion as they sought to penetrate each others defenses, the Senshi of time having given up on her long-range attacks and fighting hand-to-hand instead.

They picked up the pace when she waved her staff in an arc, creating a shimmering purple bubble around her, and the two onlookers watched as Ranma nodded appreciatively, then dove inside the bubble. The fighting lasted only a few minutes longer until Ranma dissipated the bubble with a savage yell and a flare of his battle-aura, only to catch the business end of Pluto's staff in the gut. The pigtailed martial artist flew backwards, flipping into a one-armed handstand, and righted himself, crouching low. Setsuna, similarly, had settled down into a ready stance, her staff angled protectively before her, but instead of attacking again, Ranma merely stood and nodded towards her. Setsuna released the transformation, and Nabiki took that as her cue to approach the pair, Cologne trailing behind her.

"Well, Ranma-kun, they certainly won't be able to say you cut them any slack," Nabiki commented with a sly grin as she got within hearing distance. The pigtailed martial artist chuckled and scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Well, we _are_ kind of short on time, and I figured this was the best way to figure out where they stood."

Cologne grimaced as she took a look around at the tired and panting Senshi. "Which isn't much, I'm afraid. Despite their enhanced stamina, they seem to be tiring out rather quickly. And I assume they held back?"

"Yeah. I told them no overly powerful attacks, and nothing that could cause too much collateral damage," Ranma agreed. "I mainly just wanted to see how well they'd do in close quarters."

"Except for your friend here," Cologne nodded at Setsuna, "they didn't seem to be doing well at all in close quarters."

"The youngest did pretty well. Sailor Saturn, was it?" Ranma glanced at Setsuna, and the green-haired woman nodded in confirmation. "She's pretty decent with that polearm of hers, but again, she lacks the stamina and strength to wield it effectively."

Cologne bobbed her head in agreement. "I would suggest we begin with some very basic strength and stamina excercises…in their normal forms. The change should carry over through the transformation and the magic should amplify the existing qualities significantly. I suppose while I am working with you and Ryoga, Setsuna here can teach them the basics of unarmed combat, and when either of us takes over, we can go into more advanced techniques and combat arts."

"Yeah, sounds like a plan," Ranma concurred.

"That reminds me, have you thought of a way to bring young Ryoga over to explain the situation to him?"

Ranma frowned. "Well…not really, no. I figured I'd just wait till he shows up, then beat him into the ground and explain things to him while he's unable to get up."

"Oh, Ranma-kun," Nabiki sighed. "You do know that that makes it even less likely he'll listen to you?" The brunette ignored the other two women trying to restrain their laughter as she swung an arm over the martial artist's shoulders. "You have to approach matters diplomatically, in a way that won't make Ryoga angry, and yet at the same time incapacitate him enough to make him listen to you without attacking you."

"And uh…how do I do that?"

Nabiki smirked. "Simple. Tonight, Kasumi is helping me run a few…errands." Ranma didn't miss the mischievous glint in her eyes, and shuddered, worried for whoever would be on the receiving end of her plans. "And I, myself will be out, as well. I just happened to see P-chan around the yard earlier today, so I reckon that by dinnertime he'll have found his way to the bathroom. And since both Kasumi and I will be out…"

"Oyaji and your dad are gonna make Ryoga taste Akane's food," Ranma finished with an equally evil smirk. "Nabiki, you're a genius!"

"Thank you, thank you very much," the middle Tendo daughter drawled in a passable impersonation of Elvis. "So, I reckon you or Cologne can swing by after dinner and discreetly move Ryoga to someplace where you can talk undisturbed. In fact, I'd really rather recommend Cologne be there, just in case."

"I'll be there, too," Setsuna added. When the other three stared at her, she shrugged. "I can show them a few things, explain stuff. It might help."

"That reminds me," Ranma noted, "why are you here, Nabiki? I just stopped by this morning."

The brunette gave a mock bow with a flourish. "Because, Ranma-kun, as of this afternoon, you are a free man. With the exception of Ryoga, that is. Kasumi and I have begun taking steps to make sure the fathers are kept occupied, Kuno is incapacitated, and the various people asking for you at school know not to come after you, lest they face a fire-spitting, man-eating dragon." Nabiki grinned. "Kasumi came up with the last one, herself."

"Wha-" Ranma gaped.

"Unfortunately, I also have to warn you," Nabiki added with a wry smile. "Akane-chan seems rather adamant about finding you, especially when I refused to disclose your location to her. I reckon she might be showing up sooner or later." The girl sighed. "I'm sorry to say that she's still mostly stuck in her little fantasy where you're the evil guy, Ranma-kun, but there's nothing new there."

A groan from the sidelines drew their attention as a number of the Senshi began picking themselves off the ground. Ranma glanced over and shrugged. "Well, looks like they recovered. You want to get them started, Cologne?"

The elder grinned toothily. "Why, Ranma, I thought you'd never ask!"

Setsuna and Nabiki both shared a worried look, and the eldest Senshi let out worried sigh as the two martial artists stalked towards the Senshi and began rousing them with loud cries of "Up! Come on, get up and back to work!"

Venus actually whimpered. Setsuna was forced to agree, after seeing the devious glints in their eyes.


	10. Chapter Nine

**Author's Notes:** Sorry for the long, LONG delay in updating. I've been busy with school work and stuff, plus, my mind kind of wandered from the Ranma scene for a while. However, I'm back, and actively writing a number of my stories again, so be on the lookout. Also, if you're looking for a Harry Potter story, head over to Lord Silvere's "Earl of the North" which I've taken over from him.

Chapter Nine

When they got to the Tendo home, Nabiki's prediction had turned out to be true. The living room was deserted, save for a passed-out Ryoga. The fathers were gone – most likely fled to the nearest bar to escape Akane's cooking, and the chef herself was nowhere to be seen. Ranma slung his rival over his shoulder easily and hastily made his way outside, where Nabiki was valiantly fighting to suppress a wide grin at Ryoga's slumped form. Ranma nodded once, and the two left, never noticing that someone had been watching the exchange from the second story of the home.

Ranma reached the appointed meeting place, his old campsite in the park. Cologne was already there, and Nabiki arrived a few minutes afterwards. The three stood around Ryoga, who'd been placed on a bench, and waited. Minutes passed, and Cologne frowned.

"How long does he need to recover? Seriously, that girl's cooking can't be _that_ bad."

Ranma and Nabiki both paled. "You have no idea," the girl mumbled.

"Akane's cooking should be classified as a biological weapon," the martial artist added. Cologne arched an eyebrow in disbelief, but shrugged and let the matter rest.

A few minutes later, the lost boy finally stirred. With a groan, he sat up, rubbing his eyes and trying to keep the urge to retch down. The blurry shapes in front of him solidified slowly, and he recognized Nabiki and Ranma; his eyes drifted to the third person, who was leaning in close to get a good look at him, and he let out a horrified squeal, backing up over the back of the bench where he landed on the ground with a loud thud.

Ranma chuckled, and Nabiki failed to hide her giggles as Ryoga regained his bearings and stood up, weakly pointing a finger at the pigtailed martial artist. "You…Ranma…this is all…your…fault!"

"Hey," Ranma held up his hands defensively. "I didn't make that food, and I didn't force you to eat it!"

Ryoga mulled that over for a moment. "But because you weren't there, she made _me_ eat it! So it's your fault for not being there!"

Ranma slapped a hand to his face. "Oh boy. Look, Ryoga, we don't have time for this. I need to talk to you man, but if you're not gonna listen, I'm gonna have to beat you down till you listen."

"Why, you-"

"Now, now, Ranma-kun. Diplomacy, remember?" Nabiki smirked as she leaned over Ranma's shoulder. "Now, Ryoga-kun, like Ranma here said a little uncouthly, we need to talk to you, and it's rather important." Her brown eyes narrowed dangerously. "So if you don't want Akane to find out about P-chan, you'll listen, and then you'll _think_ about it very, very carefully before you answer. Are we clear?"

"You _told_!" Ryoga leapt at his rival, only to find Cologne's gnarled staff embedded in his gut. The lost boy flew back, crashing into the ground a few yards away.

"Actually, Ryoga-kun, he didn't," Nabiki explained, the dangerous glint never leaving her eyes. "It wasn't all that hard to figure out. Everyone figured it out, really, even Kuno. Everyone but Akane. Now, I've tolerated your behavior in the past, mainly because I didn't want to hurt Akane, and because you've helped us out at times, but if you blow this, so help me, Ryoga, I'll make your life hell. Understood?"

"But-"

"No buts!" Nabiki glared at the lost boy. "This is important. This is bigger than your grudge against Ranma, bigger than whatever little feud you've got going, and it damn well is bigger than your _blasted pride_!"

"Wha-"

"I believe it'd be better if I explained it?" The new voice caused Ryoga to turn his head. The first thing he saw was a pair of black high-heeled shoes; travelling up, he gulped as his eyes followed a pair of slender legs that vanished under a purple skirt, up a purple jacket over a white blouse, up further to piercing red eyes framed by green hair.

"You!" Ryoga stared, wide-eyed. "You're the one that hit me earlier this morning!"

"Why yes, that would be me," Setsuna smirked, amusement plainly visible in her eyes. She had long since given up on trying to figure out how the martial artists of Nerima seemed to so effortlessly see through the Senshi's glamour magic, but she reckoned it had something to do with their ability to sense the ki around them. "Now, would you sit still and behave while we make you an offer…?"

"That you can't refuse," Nabiki mumbled under her breath. Cologne heard, though, and snickered.

Ryoga's glared wandered from Setsuna to Ranma, from his pigtailed nemesis to Nabiki, to finally settle on Cologne. Confusion warred with him for a moment as he mulled over Nabiki's words. "Fine," he said, sitting up. "I'll listen."

"Ranma! There you are!"

Five pairs of eyes turned to the sound of the new voice, three widening in shock, and two in surprise.

"Dammit," Ranma muttered, "I thought for sure I'd lost any pursuit."

Akane came running up to them, her aura already flickering around her. The girl slid to a halt in front of the group with a huff. She glared at Nabiki briefly, before settling her gaze on the pigtailed martial artist. If glares were lasers, Ranma would've been a puddle of organic matter on the ground in an instant as she gave him her best death-glare. Which, considering her battle-aura was flaring around her in a brilliant crimson, was rather considerable. Ryoga gulped and took a long step back, trying to hide behind the overturned bench.

"Ranma…" Akane dragged out the name, "where have you been the last two days, you pervert?" Her glare wandered to Setsuna for a brief moment, before flickering back to her fiancee. "Don't tell me you found yourself _another_ bimbo! Aren't you ever satisfied? First Shampoo, then Ukyo, then-"

Akane broke off abruptly when Setsuna's palm stopped an inch from her face, only held in check by Ranma's firm grasp on her wrist. The pigtailed martial artist shot the elder Senshi a pointed look and shook his head. Setsuna glared and balled her fists, but nodded back and pulled away reluctantly.

"I wouldn't insult Setsuna-san, if I were you, Akane," Ranma sighed.

"Don't change the topic! You've been harassing the Sailor Senshi! I saw you on TV! And now you're sneaking around behind everyone's back in the park, and you're dragging poor Ryoga along, and you're threatening him!" Akane glared at Setsuna, and the ruby-eyed woman glared back. "And you! How dare you try to hit me! I'll show you what a real-"

"_Enough_!" Cologne's voice echoed through the clearing, amplified by her ki. The ancient woman's aura washed across the assembled group, freezing them in their tracks at the sheer amount of power that emanated from her. "Miss Tendo, that will be quite enough from you. There are things going on here that are beyond your petty little squabbles, and right now we have more important things to do than listen to your insignificant accusations."

"Insignificant?!" Akane screeched as she reared back, reaching for her trusty mallet.

Ranma eyed the situation with increasing unease; ever since Akane had found them, the hairs on the back of his neck had been standing on end, and he'd been on the edge, with his danger sense buzzing continuously. He knew Cologne was feeling it, too, from the way her sharp eyes were scanning the environment and the abrupt way she'd put a halt to Akane's tirade.

It happened the instant Akane materialized her hammer. A dozen voids opened in the surrounding landscape, each starting out as a pinprick of near-perfect blackness, only to quickly grow to the size of a small car in a matter of moments. Ranma, Ryoga, and Cologne reacted at the same time, diving to the ground. Ranma took Setsuna and Nabiki with him, while Ryoga had grabbed Akane. They hit the ground, covering their heads even as a volley of energy blasts screamed by overhead, vaporizing entire trees behind them and blowing huge chunks out of the ground.

"What the hell is going on?" Ryoga yelled over the sounds of destruction.

"Up, get up and run!" Ranma urged when the barrage had stopped. The pigtailed martial artist glanced over his shoulder briefly, but long enough to see long, spidery legs emerging from the now house-sized portals. He pulled Setsuna and Nabiki to their feet, surprising the younger woman as he lifted her up and into his arms, dashing off with her cradled bridal-style. Ryoga wasn't far behind, similarly carrying Akane, while Setsuna and Cologne were keeping up on their own. The pigtailed martial artist chanced a glance over his shoulder as energy blasts began whizzing past them as they made a break for the treeline.

"Ranma, look out!" The shout from Cologne came an instant too late as a sickly yellow burst of energy flared up, causing the ground next to the pigtailed martial artist to erupt into dirt and flying rocks. The ancient woman lost track of the boy in the explosion, though she caught sight of Nabiki flying out of the blast zone and quickly moved to catch the girl.

"Ranma!" Setsuna stopped and made to turn around to look for the Saotome heir. Cologne was about to scream at her to keep running when the eldest Senshi vanished in a barrage of magical fire. The amazon froze for a split second, then made her choice, and ran, hoping that Ranma's luck would hold out.

Cologne and Ryoga made it to the treeline carrying the two Tendo sisters when the energy blasts suddenly stopped. Risking a glance from behind a tree, Cologne caught sight of something that made her blood run cold. Their enemy had stopped firing, but the clearing they had been in was now filled with dozens of youma, and still more were pouring through the gateways that Cologne could see. They were forming up in lines as if they were soldiers awaiting their commander, and no matter where the ancient woman looked, she couldn't find a glimpse of Ranma or Setsuna.

A muffled grunt from Akane diverted Cologne's attention from the amassing army, only to see that Nabiki had a hand clamped firmly over her younger sister's mouth, and the glare she was nailing her with was impressive, even for Cologne's standards. "Shut up, sis, or do you want to get us all killed?" Nabiki hissed into her sister's ear. Akane glared back, but relented under Nabiki's icy stare.

Seeing that Nabiki had the situation well under control, Cologne glanced back at the youma that by now had turned into a sea of gleaming black carapaces. All hopes of going back for Ranma and Setsuna were gone by now. Cologne was confident that between her and Ryoga, they could have handled a few youma, maybe even as much as a dozen, long enough to drag them to safety, but there were way too many now. And a force this big could only mean one thing: the invasion had begun. They had to warn the Senshi and rally their own forces, before they were taken by surprise and overrun.

"Damn," Cologne muttered, loosing her composure for the first time in a century. A part of her didn't want to leave, knowing that she was leaving two comrades behind. Even worse, she would be leaving _Ranma_ behind, and the foolish woman who'd risked everything in coming to warn them. Rationally, she knew that both of them were most likely dead; even if they had survived being hit in the initial barrage, then they were now surrounded by a hundred youma. "Damn it all to hell," she repeated, before turning around and walking away, dragging Ryoga and the two Tendo sisters along with her.

_Forgive me, Ranma._

* * *

_  
_

"Aiya, great-grandmother, what's going on?" Shampoo blinked in surprise as Cologne breezed past her, Ryoga, Nabiki, and Akane in tow, completely ignoring the question as the elder slammed the door to the kitchen behind her. A second later, Cologne came back out and dragged Shampoo and Mousse in, as well, before flipping the sign on the door to closed. When she re-entered the kitchen, four pairs of eyes were looking at her in confusion. Actually, Akane was more angry than she was confused, but the iron grip her sister had on her forearm held her in check.

"All right, here's the deal," Cologne began, "we're facing an invasion from extra-dimensional monsters. They've just arrived at the park, and are about one-hundred and twenty in number."

Dead silence followed that announcement, before Shampoo began giggling. "That good one, great-grandmother. Funny joke."

The sound of Cologne slamming her tiny fist on the table seemed impossibly loud in the cramped kitchen, and it put an immediate stop to Shampoo's mirth. "This is not a joke, great-granddaughter," Cologne said calmly. "In fact, this is about as serious as it can get. Now, we were originally only going to talk to Ryoga, but things have changed and forced our hand. Maybe you should explain, Miss Tendo?"

Nabiki nodded. "All right, listen up. A few days ago, Ranma-kun was approached by a woman, Setsuna, for help. She asked him to help her prepare the Sailor Senshi for a war that was coming, a war that the Senshi would lose without help. You're all aware of the battle over in Juuban ward yesterday. To put it bluntly, the Senshi got their butts handed to them on a silver plate. According to Setsuna's information, we were supposed to have at least three weeks before the invasion started to train the Senshi, but now, the schedule's moved up. The enemy is here, and he's here in force, and unless we stop them, they'll kill every man, woman, and child in Tokyo, then move on to the rest of Japan and the rest of the world."

"Like she said, the Senshi can't handle this enemy-" Cologne began.

"Liar! The Senshi can handle anything, and they _don't_ need help from Ranma or anyone else!" Akane shouted.

Nabiki and Cologne exchanged a long, exhasperated look. The elder reached over and jabbed the youngest Tendo in the chest with her cane. Akane tried to flinch away, but found that suddenly, she couldn't move. She opened her mouth to protest, but no words came out. Glaring at Cologne, she turned her eyes up to the ceiling and resolved to ignore the others.

"As I was saying," Cologne continued, "the Senshi cannot handle this enemy. That is why they came to Ranma for help. He, in turn, asked me for assistance. We were hoping that with time to prepare, the two of us could train the Senshi to a level where they would be a credible threat to the invaders. At the same time, Ranma believed that both he and Ryoga could learn a number of new techniques, as well. It is vital that we help the Senshi, because if they fail, then everyone on this planet is in danger." Cologne looked around the table. "We were in the park just twenty minutes ago, about to discuss this with Ryoga when the enemy began the invasion."

Shampoo got the sinking feeling she wasn't going to like what her great-grandmother would say next. "Where – where's Ranma?"

"We don't know," Nabiki muttered softly, answering before Cologne could. "He took a hit for me. We were running for the trees for cover when the youma started showing up, and they started shooting at us…we lost track of him when we made it to the trees."

Shampoo stared at her wordlessly for a moment. "You left him behind?"

"We had no choice, great-granddaughter," Cologne said sternly, though her tone was tinged with regret. "There were hundreds of youma, and no way to go back to him without getting killed. We needed to warn everyone who can fight so that the invasion can be stopped."

"You left him behind!" Shampoo repeated.

"I know." Cologne laid a wrinkled hand on the younger amazon's. "There were too many, and the chance that he would've survived is-"

"Don't talk like that!" Shampoo yanked her hand away abruptly. "He's alive. I know it. I can feel it. He's alive. He has to be."

Cologne looked at her great-granddaughter sadly. She had known for a long time that Shampoo was in love with the wayward Saotome heir, but she also knew that Ranma didn't love her back. That was a truth Shampoo hadn't realized yet, whether it was because she didn't want to see it, or because she hadn't, Cologne wasn't sure. Not that she could fault the boy, by any means, for she knew that love couldn't be forced, and while it would've been nice to have Ranma as part of the tribe, she had long since settled for having him as a friend and ally. She would just have to find some other way of changing the minds of the other elders of their tribe. But more importantly, while Cologne also didn't believe that Ranma was dead – the boy had survived too many times and pulled off miracles far too often for them to write him off so quickly – she knew that right now, it was more important to rally their forces. With a heavy sigh, she rapped her cane on the table to get everyone's attention. Sometimes, she really hated being the voice of reason.

"He could be," she told the assembled people. "However, as of right now, gathering every fighter we have is of utmost importance. We cannot defeat the enemy by ourselves, and the Senshi are of no help as they are right now." Her eyes narrowed as she fixed Shampoo with a stern glare. "And running off to get yourself killed in an ill-planned attempt to save him isn't going to help Ranma, either. We need to gather our forces, repel the enemy, gather intelligence, and then we can formulate a plan of attack."

Ryoga, who had been uncharacteristically silent until then, raised his hand. Upon Cologne's nod, he spoke, glancing around the table nervously. "These…these things, what are they?"

"Youma." Nabiki answered, tucking a strand of brown hair behind her ear. "From what I understand, they're some kind of lower-plane demon, or something to that effect."

"Like the stuff Happosai usually conjurs up?"

"Yeah." Nabiki nodded. "But these are much more dangerous. The ones Happosai summons are usually just really perverted. These are bred for battle. Ranma had trouble handling them the first time he ran across them, and that's saying something."

"From what he and Setsuna told me, we are facing at least three different kinds of youma," Cologne added. "One is the spider-like type the Senshi were fighting yesterday. They are highly resistant to impact and energy-based damage, and, from what Ranma told me, are surprisingly agile and quick for their size. A second type is a smaller, insectoid-type youma, about the size of a large beetle. These are parasites that can take control of their hosts – so take extreme care when you come across these. The third type is a humanoid form youma that we have not seen yet, and one that is apparently capable of mimicking any attack it is hit with," she summarized. "If the force we saw in the park is merely an advance force, then we can expect several hundred more."

Silence filled the room at her announcement as the younger martial artists looked at each other in shock, not knowing what to say. "So…what do we do?" Mousse finally asked. "If there's hundreds of them, and Saotome already had trouble dealing with two or three, then how do we fight them?"

"We train," Cologne told them. "I will request help from the village, and there is always the Senshi. Because we are short on time, I will have to train all of you at the same time."

"I'll also look for some reinforcements here," Nabiki added, "there's a number of excellent martial artists in Japan, though they're scattered through the entire country. There's also got to be some demon hunters and the likes; the Senshi can't be the only ones in Japan fighting youma."

"What about the youma that just arrived?" Ryoga asked.

Cologne grimaced. "I will warn the Senshi, and we will have to put out sentries to keep track of the enemy troop movements. Since they arrived in force, I assume they are about to hit a target, so I advise you to be prepared to fight once we get to Juuban."

"What makes you so sure they'll hit Juuban, old ghoul?" Mousse asked, and for once, Cologne didn't whack him with her cane for using the nickname Ranma had saddled her with.

"Because they've already hit Juuban twice. They are aware that the Senshi were receiving help by both myself and Ranma, which I assume is the reason we were attacked in the park. If that is the case, then it would be most logical to wipe out the remaining opposition before we can gather our forces." Cologne didn't mention Setsuna's return from the future, figuring it would be information they didn't need right now, and would only serve to confuse them.

Mousse grimaced. "If they knew you were meeting at the park, then they must be observing you. That can't be good."

"I don't think we are under constant surveillance," Cologne replied, "though you are correct, the thought does disturb me."

Nabiki shook her head. "Actually, Ranma had this feeling that all of us are being watched. Or maybe just him and you, Cologne. He told me after the battle that the enemy had adjusted their plans of attack against Setsuna-san's predictions, and he suspected that that was specifically because the enemy became aware that she'd enlisted his help. The time table for the attack was moved up by three weeks that time."

"Three weeks?" Cologne frowned. Neither Ranma nor Setsuna had mentioned that, though Cologne couldn't blame them. Setsuna's story alone had been a lot to take in, and it would've been easy to forget to mention details such as these. But if it was true, and Cologne had no doubt that by "predictions" Nabiki had meant Setsuna's experiences from the future, then the enemy's resources had just become a whole lot more dangerous. Anyone who could deploy a massive force such as the one in the park three weeks early would be a formidable enemy, and Cologne dearly hoped that whoever their enemy was, he'd paid some sort of price for attacking early. If not…then Kami help them all.

The elder glanced into the assembled faces. "Now, we need to make preparations. Shampoo, Mousse, go and pack. We will move to Juuban for the time being, since I need to train you and the Senshi. Ryoga, I suggest you accompany us – it wouldn't do for you to get lost during such a critical time." The lost boy bristled slightly at the comment about his sense of direction, but held his tongue, still too shocked by the revelation of an extra-dimensional invasion.

"What are you going to do?" Nabiki finally asked.

"I'll lock up the store, contact the village, and go through the collection of artefacts I have here again," Cologne replied with a heavy sigh. "As soon as you are ready to go, we'll head over to Juuban, and meet with the Senshi. Miss Tendo, I'd like you to inform as many fighters as you can find, whom you deem competent enough, as to the Senshi's meeting place. The time for secrecy is over, and if I had to choose between protecting their identities and saving the world, my choice is clear."

"Of course," the brunette girl replied. Mousse and Shampoo had already risen to leave, while Ryoga had started checking through his backpack, none of them questioning Cologne's orders.

"I can help, too! I'm a martial artist!" The pressure point Cologne had used on the youngest Tendo chose that instant to cease working.

The ancient woman merely sighed and rubbed her forehead wearily. "Miss Tendo," she said, this time referring to Akane, "in all honestly, since politeness doesn't seem to work with you, we don't have time to baby-sit you. We are at war, and to be quite frank, you would be of _no_ help whatsoever. In fact, you may be more of a hindrance than help. You would serve us all best by staying at home and praying to whatever gods you believe in."

* * *

Nabiki watched Akane go with a curious look. Her younger sister was stomping out of the restaurant after Cologne had all but dismissed her. Cologne returned a moment later, with a small sack slung over her shoulder, and noticed the brunette's expression.

"Something the matter, child?"

Nabiki shook herself out of her thoughts. "Just some odd thoughts," she shrugged. "Akane's been overreacting a bit lately. I mean, after Jusendo, things were pretty bad for a while after the botched wedding, but they got better eventually. To the point where Ranma-kun and Akane weren't at each other's throats all the time." She couldn't quite hide a wince at the mention of the wedding disaster.

"Hmm…most curious. You're saying she's been more…violent lately?"

"I wouldn't say more violent, just more…aggressive. Confrontational. You saw how she was in the park, right?" When Cologne nodded, the former mercenary continued. "Well, she came to me yesterday, practically demanding that I find out for her where Ranma is. It's weird, it's like she's forgotten the last half year and just reverted back to how she used to be when Ranma first arrived."

Cologne frowned. "And this started when?"

"Not really sure…" Nabiki blinked. "Probably a few days ago. I think everything was fine and well until Setsuna-san arrived, though Ranma and Akane did have an argument two days before that. She blew her top, he blew his, so no one really thought twice. Now that I think about it, though…it was something really trivial."

Cologne's reply was pre-empted by Ryoga, Mousse, and Shampoo joining them at the door, their travel packs slung over their shoulders. Nabiki noticed that Mousse's robes seemed to be sagging a bit more than usual. _Probably carrying more hidden weapons than ever before_, she thought to herself. Shampoo had gripped Ryoga's hand tightly in hers, determined to drag the lost boy after her to prevent him from getting lost. The young amazon woman's face was an emotionless mask, though Nabiki could see right past her shell and see the glint of determination in Shampoo's eyes.

"I'll try and contact you again soon," Nabiki promised as the four of them left the Neko-Hanten, and Cologne skillfully flipped the door sign to "Closed" with her cane. "Hopefully, there's at least a few people with some real skills and firepower among all those quack demon hunters in this country, Kami-sama knows the Senshi could use the help."

"Indeed. Let us just hope that it isn't too late. The enemy is here already, and we have no line of defense if they attack now," the ancient woman replied grimly as she turned to leave, Mousse in tow. Shampoo took a moment before following her great-grandmother, and Nabiki took the time to grasp her shoulder to hold her back.

"Give me two days to find help. Then we go find Ranma. I promise," she whispered so that Cologne, even with her extraordinary hearing, couldn't pick it out. Nabiki offered Shampoo a pleading look, knowing that she was planning on going off by herself – something which would get her killed. The middle Tendo sister also knew that she, herself wanted to go after Ranma, but that would have to wait until she'd given Cologne everything she could to work with.

For a moment, it didn't look like Shampoo would acknowledge her, but then she nodded her head sharply, once. She turned to leave, but Ryoga gave the brunette a sidelong glance as Shampoo dragged him away, and she could almost see the wheels turning in his head. She shook her head with a knowing smile – Ranma and Ryoga may be rivals, but deep down, beneath the anger and rivalry, there was a deep mutual respect, grudging as that may be. That was why, whenever it mattered, the two of them could be found on the same side. And Nabiki just knew that if she and Shampoo went after Ranma, they'd have some muscle to help them.


	11. Chapter Ten

**Author's Note: **Not really much to say, except one review reply:

Dracklor: Yes, this is set after Jusendo, probably half a year or so after. I'm assuming that by now, Nodoka has had her home rebuilt, or has purchased a new one somewhere closer to the Tendo home to be closer to her son and husband, because, as traditional as she is, I can't really see her remaining with the Tendos and burdening them with another houseguest, no matter how much she can help Kasumi with the housework. Plus, I think eventually she'd want her own home back, not just for herself, but also for Ranma.

Anyway, aside from that, enjoy the story! Oh yeah, I just remembered, the next chapter will probably be a bit longer in coming, since I'm intending to finish up "Earl of the North" first, it only has another two or three chapters to go that I need to write out. After that, I'll be able to devote my full attention to "Missing Time" and a new story that'll be based on Trisar's "Just One Day." Oh, and kudos to those who can spot the cameos from some of my favorite stories (they shouldn't be hard to find).

Chapter Ten

Her world slowly faded from black to white as light began to filter into her eyes. When awareness flooded her mind, her eyes snapped open, only for her to close them again rapidly, her retinas overloaded by the amount of light after spending so much time in darkness. When the pain from her eyes faded, she became aware of a different kind of pain, one that suffused her entire body. It seemed to be spreading out from below her right shoulder blade, but she couldn't muster the energy to reach around and try to find the injury. Nor did she really want to know how bad it was, considering the last sight she remembered was an incoming wall of magical energy blasts.

It took her a while to find her composure and muster the resolve to open her eyes again. When she did, it was with a groan of pain when her injured shoulder protested her attempt to roll over onto her side. To her surprise, she found herself neither in a ruined post-apocalyptic world, as she had come to expect from the Negaverse, nor was she in some sort of prison. In fact, the area around her looked very much like the park she had been in when she'd lost consciousness, except for the fact that there were none of the blast craters, and biological constructs she couldn't begin to identify were scattered around the area. She managed to push herself to her hands and knees, swaying a little as she reached up to brush a strand of green hair away from where it had fallen across her eyes.

A couple of deep breaths later, she found the strength to stand and survey her situation. The first thing she noticed was the total lack of sound. She could see the strange organic-looking things pulsing, but it was perfectly silent, except for the sound of her breathing. It was a little disconcerting, but nothing immediately important. The next thing on her list was her body; from the way her shoulderblade was hurting and the way the fabric of her blouse was stuck to her skin, she surmised that she'd probably been hit pretty badly. Nothing the senshi magic wouldn't take care of.

Her hand went for the henshin rod tucked within the subspace pocket she'd been using to store it for the last few centuries, only to come up empty. Crimson eyes widened in surprise and then panic when she failed to find any of the objects placed within the space that was so similar to Mousse's hidden weapons cache.

"Looking for this?"

Setsuna's head snapped around as the foreign voice pierced the silence around her, only to find a vague figure of a woman standing a few feet before her. Light shone off her body, and her hair was floating around her head in an incandescent halo, completely obscuring her features. Held in her hand was, much to Setsuna's disdain, a henshin pen engraved with the crest of Pluto. "Who are you?" the green-haired woman asked suspiciously.

"Your captor, for now." The reply came in the same oddly-echoing tone that was only vaguely feminine. She toyed with the henshin pen for a moment, before deciding to return her attention to the Senshi of time. "You know, you're quite a nuisance, almost as much as that friend of yours. Then again, I should have expected as much, from someone with millennia of experience and command of the time stream."

"You haven't answered my question," Setsuna frowned and took a tentative step forward. "Who are you?"

The figure shrugged. "It's not really of any importance. My name has no meaning for you."

"So then, why are we here? If I'm your prisoner, then shouldn't I be in a prison?" Setsuna ground out.

"But my dear Setsuna, you _are_ in a prison." The figure seemed to almost smile as she casually tossed the henshin pen to the side. It sailed through the air, and Setsuna was grinning internally, about to leap for the device that would allow her to transform when it impacted an invisible barrier. Blue and purple light flared up as ripples appeared where the pen struck the wall. When the light faded, Setsuna was left to stare in horror at the charred and molten remains of one of the most powerful artifacts of the Moon Kingdom.

The captor merely chuckled. "Oops. I guess you still needed that. Oh well."

"Why, you…" The oldest Senshi balled her fists, shaking with fury.

"Anyway, I have to go and pay a visit to your little friend. You know, you really should have kept him out of this. As it is, you've sent him and his friends to their deaths." The captor shrugged and waved, before vanishing without a trace, leaving Setsuna to wonder if this was all a bad dream. The eerie silence around her and the smoke wafting up from the destroyed henshin pen told her otherwise.

It was only after a while, when the shock over the loss of her connection to her Senshi powers had settled somewhat, that she realized something.

"Ranma!"

* * *

_Oh, this can't be good. Did Akane hit me again?_ Ranma's first thoughts when he regained consciousness were disturbed by a sudden and very rude attempt at rousing him, when a flood of cold water caused the air to explode from his lungs. He reflexively rolled onto his back and flipped backwards, landing in a defensive crouch. However, no further attack was forthcoming, and he blinked in confusion. "Huh?"

"You're _finally_ awake, hmm?" An oddly distorted voice asked as a glowing figure of vaguely male shape shimmered into existence in front of the pig-tailed martial artist.

"What the heck was that for?" Ranma frowned and adjusted her clothing.

The glowing figure shrugged. "You wouldn't wake up. I mean, I can see why your would-be fiancée keeps dumping water over you, it's the only thing that seems to work. Seriously, World War Three could be occurring right in front of you, and you probably wouldn't notice."

Ranma finally took notice of her environment, and suppressed a shudder. The area around her would have been pleasant, if it wasn't for the slimy, pulsing, vibrating glob of _something_ that reached to her chest. A thick, ichor-like liquid was oozing from pores all over the thing, and once in a while it would release a puff of sulfuric-smelling air. With a slimy-sounding belch, one of the pods to his left split along its length, and a clawed leg made its way out into the open. The pig-tailed martial artist then realized what they were. _Birth pods. Or something like that. This is where they're mass-producing those youma._

The realization must have been obvious in the redhead's eyes, because the strange person in front of her commented. "It can be quite disconcerting, at first, I know. You get used to it. On the positive side, they're rather useful in battle."

"Where the heck am I? What is this place? Last thing I remember-"

"You're still where you were before, in the park." Ranma would swear there was an evil smirl hiding behind that diffuse glow that hid all features on the being before her. "I must say, I didn't really expect you to be this recovered this quickly, not after the way you went down."

Ranma eyed the area around her. She was in the park, all right, though apparently all the damage had magically disappeared and been replaced by the vile, disgusting mounds of growing youma. Even as she looked around, a number of pods split open and disgorged spider-like creatures into the open. "I guess you did some redecorating, then," she noted dryly.

"You could say that. Unfortunately, because of a certain someone's meddling with our plans, we had to speed up our pace." The glowing person shrugged. "Oh well."

Blue eyes surveyed the glowing figure warily, even as she probed deeper with her ki-senses. The result wasn't exactly pretty, as Ranma realized that person carried more power than Saffron – enough power to quite literally glow from the sheer amount of it. "So, why am I still here? I'm assuming you're the jerk that Setsuna said wanted to take over the world?"

"She said that, did she?" The tone was almost amused. "Somehow, I don't think she left it at 'jerk.'"

"Not really," Ranma muttered.

"Well, you're right, we did go through all that trouble to capture you for a reason." The glowing man walked across the grass, passing a number of smaller pods. "Come on, or wouldn't you like to see why you're still alive?"

Reluctantly, Ranma followed, absently kicking one of the pods she passed, only to blink in surprise when it gurgled in protest and sank into itself, dead. _What the-_

"Please refrain from doing that," her captor said with a chuckle. "We kind of need those youma, and it simply wouldn't do for you to go around kicking them to death, now."

_You're kidding me, right?_ Ranma thought silently. _These are the big, bad monsters we've been having problems with? Man, Akane could wipe out their entire army without big problems. Heck, _Kuno_ could probably do it!_ A silly grin spread over her face as she imagined the results of Akane's cooking dueling with the monsters._Man, that would be as epic as Gojiro versus Mothra._

"We're here." The captor stopped in front of a bathtub-sized vat that was covered with an almost opaque membrane. Like everything around it, it was pulsing with a sickly purple light. Veins ran along the exterior surface and expanded and contracted almost as if they were blood vessels, and there was a sloshing of liquid inside.

"If you expect me to take a dip in that-"

"No, no," a glowing hand waved off Ranma's protest. "Nothing like that. You see, since we had to accelerate our schedule, we were faced with a dilemma. Our genetic research was incomplete, but we needed to field large amounts of troops quickly. However, ever since our first encounter with you, we realized that there was a quick shortcut we could take. Instead of designing a completely new strand of DNA for our masterpiece, why not simply _replicate_ an existing one? And while we were at it, why not use the most promising one we'd ever seen?"

A sinking feeling spread through Ranma's entrails as a glowing finger caressed the membrane, causing it to recede. The liquid inside the tank was murky, milky-white. Bubbles began to appear as something stirred in the water, and with a splash, that something surfaced, heaving for air as its lungs began functioning on their own. Sky-blue eyes snapped open for the first time, unfocused and untrained.

And Ranma's blood ran cold as she stared into the face of her enemy.

Her own.

* * *

Saotome Nodoka was tending to the garden in her newly-rebuilt home, relishing the early summer evening. The house that had been leveled several months ago was now mostly complete again, with only a few minor finishing touches remaining. She smiled as she glanced out at the yard where the construction workers were putting up the dojo. Since she was rebuilding her home from the ground up, she reckoned she might as well include a dojo for her son. The music on the radio she was listening to stopped abruptly, to be replaced by the urgent voice of a news anchorman.

"This is a special announcement. All citizens are requested to return to their homes. The JSDF has been mobilized and placed on a heightened level of alert. Parliament is expected to declare a state of emergency. This has been due to the emergence of a large number of unknown hostiles. I repeat, the JSDF is on high alert. We-" he broke off for a moment, then returned. "We are receiving reports that the hostiles are attacking numerous areas throughout the country. It is unknown where they came from or how they managed to enter the country undetected. Locations in Okhayama, Tokyo, and near Kyoto are under attack."

Nodoka dropped everything and rushed inside to turn on the television, only to gasp in horror. The camera feed was showing explosions around the Kyoto headquarters of the Japanese Supernatural Affairs office, the agency that had been created after numerous Gojiro incidents. People were running away in terror, some of them vaporized by stray blasts of energy as the enemy marched through the smoke and debris, undeterred by the small-arms fire of the police. Tank-sized eight-legged creatures stalked through the streets, their razor-sharp claws ripping through cars as if they were tissue paper.

"Similar scenes are repeating themselves across the globe," the commentator finally said. "Reports are coming in that the Russian Spiritual Institute in St. Petersburg is likewise under attack. This is a feed from a correspondent in the Los Angeles area, where the American Department of Abnormal Phenomenae Containment is also being assaulted by forces unknown." On the screen behind him, a Russian man with a gunbarrel attached where his wrist should be could be seen firing and cackling insanely as he tried to stop the youma while other researchers and officers fled. A second Russian was hauling a huge gun around in support, firing large-caliber shells, seemingly unbothered by the recoil of a massive gun as tall as himself.

The scene switched to a decidedly American locale, where a number of the spider-like creatures were slowly advancing on a seven-story building, their energy blasts already decimating the main entrance and ground level floor. Nodoka watched in horror as two rockets shot out of the building in response, rocking one of the creatures back. The missiles were followed in short order by an armored vehicle that had a large machine gun mounted on top. A blonde American wearing a bandanna and military fatigues revved up the turret as the transport shot out onto the road, raining down large-caliber shells onto the monsters to cover their exit. The armored transport swerved a few times, as if the driver was drunk, then righted itself after tilting over precariously, before vanishing around a corner.

"I repeat, we urge all citizens to return home and barricade themselves. The JSDF has been mobilized to counter this threat. Please do not panic. We will keep you updated as new information comes in."

Nodoka's blood ran cold as she grasped for her telephone and dialed the Tendo dojo. Despite their home being rebuilt, Ranma still lived there on his father's insistence, in a futile attempt to push him and Akane together. Nodoka was rather opposed to being apart from her son, but until the papers she'd filed went through, Genma was able to make the decisions for Ranma. The phone rang, and the woman waited desperately for someone to pick up.

"Moshi-moshi, Tendo-ke?"

"Kasumi-chan, thank the kami!" Nodoka sighed in relief. "Have you heard the news?"

"No, not yet, Auntie Nodoka. Why, what's going on?"

"Turn on the TV, Kasumi, it's all over the news and all the other channels. And please tell me, where is my son?"

There were sounds of movement on the other end of the line as Kasumi most likely left the kitchen and switched on the television set in the Tendo's living room. Nodoka could hear a soft gasp in shock as the younger woman watched the newsfeed. The line went silent for a few long moments.

"Kasumi-chan? Are you still there?"

"Y-yes, Auntie. Oh my, that is horrible. When did this happen?"

"Just now. Kasumi-chan, where's my son?"

There was an urgency in the older woman's voice that spurred Kasumi into a mild state of panic. The eldest Tendo daughter was quick to reply that she hadn't seen Ranma since earlier that morning. She also figured, though, that she should let Nodoka know that Ranma had left the Tendo residence for a training trip; though Kasumi wasn't privy to all that had been going on, Nabiki had told her a good deal, which she relayed to Nodoka now.

"So my son has left on a training trip to help this strange woman prepare their friends for battle?" the redheaded woman summed up, worried. She knew that Ranma could take care of himself, especially after that episode in Jusendo, but like any mother, she couldn't help it.

"That's about it, Auntie. Why, what's wrong? Do you think that these attacks are connected somehow?"

"I'm not sure, Kasumi, but if they're mobilizing the army, then it's bad. Do you have any idea where Ranma went?"

The young woman took a moment to reply. "Not really, Auntie. Nabiki and Ranma have kept it pretty much under wraps to prevent some of the people here from finding out. You don't think he's involved in any of these attacks?"

"I pray to the kami that he isn't, but you know how he is…" Nodoka trailed off as she glanced at the TV screen that was still displaying reports of attacks and massive destruction all across the country. Tanks were now rolling in by now, supported by fighter planes in the air and infantry on the ground, but they were being swatted out of the way almost effortlessly. Some of the military units managed to get in good hits and destroy a few youma, but those that fell were quickly replaced by others.

"I'm sure he's fine, Auntie," despite the soothing tone, Nodoka could hear the underlying worry in Kasumi's voice, as well. "You know he never loses. Hang on a second-"

Nodoka heard a faint "Tadaima" in the background, and some static in the phone, before Kasumi returned. "Nabiki's back, Auntie. I'll let you talk to her, since she knows where Ranma went to."

"Thank you, Kasumi-chan."

There was some muffled conversation at the other end, before Nabiki spoke into the phone. "Hello, Auntie? Kasumi-neechan said you wanted to talk to me?"

"Nabiki, take a look at the news, there's locations all across the world under attack by these…these monsters," Nodoka said. "They're bringing in the army to fight them, but there's so many of them, and they're telling us to stay at home. Kasumi-chan said you'd know where Ranma is at, she said something about a training trip?"

Nabiki sighed heavily, something that wasn't lost on Nodoka. When the young girl spoke again, it was with a tone that was tinged with regret and fear. "I know, Auntie. It's a long story, maybe you should come over. And…I'm afraid I don't have good news, either."

"Where…Nabiki, just tell me this, and then I'll come over. Where is my son?" Nodoka wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer.

"He's – he's gone, Auntie." Nabiki's voice hitched. "We were in the park when the youma attacked, and he…he threw me to safety before he got hit. We don't know where he is."

_Or if he is still alive_, Nodoka added silently. She looked down at the floor for a moment, then back up at the flickering images on the TV screen, her mind made up. Reaching up over the mantle in the living room, she retrieved the Saotome family blade and removed it from its protective wrap, taking the time to collect her thoughts. "I'll be right over, Nabiki," she said, before hanging up, not giving the younger woman a chance to reply.

* * *

Cologne stopped abruptly on a rooftop a half mile away from their destination, and Ryoga, Shampoo, and Mousse skidded to a halt behind her. Ancient eyes widened in shock at the column of smoke and flame that rose in the distance, and even as they looked on, a massive explosion ripped through the city not too far away from the shrine.

"By the goddess," Cologne muttered.

"What the hell is going on here?" Mousse asked in shock. Ryoga, who had seen what had happened in the park, merely gripped the straps to his backpack tightly with one hand, holding on to Shampoo with the other. This was not the time to get lost, he realized.

"This is what I was afraid of." The elder wasn't quite able to keep the horror from her voice. "The invasion has already begun."

"Aiyah, this bad. Very very bad," Shampoo agreed, cringing as another building went up in flames.

Eyeing the distance between their goal and themselves critically, Cologne came to a decision. The youma were moving through the city with reckless abandon, and the army would probably mobilize soon to counter the threat, if it hadn't already. The ancient woman didn't hold out much hope of the military being able to do much, so it was all up to them and the Senshi, if the Senshi survived this.

"Drop your packs, and leave them here," she finally announced.

"What?"

"I said, drop your packs," Cologne repeated, a tone of command lacing her voice that compelled the three younger martial artists to comply. "Now let us hurry, and pray that we are not too late."

Now unburdened by their backpacks and camping gear, the four martial artists leapt off the roof towards the burning Hikawa shrine that stood in the middle of the sea of fire before them. Without their packs slowing them down, it didn't take them long to arrive. When they finally returned to the ground at the bottom of the steps to the shrine, Cologne heard a retching sound from behind her.

The elder turned around to find her great-granddaughter bent over as she emptied the contents of her stomach, and for once, Cologne didn't comment as Mousse ran a soothing hand over Shampoo's back. Allowing her eyes to close for a moment, the ancient woman tried to block out the view of destruction around them. It was easy enough with the bodies; not being able to see them, she could almost imagine there weren't corpses littering the ground around them. But the smell was a different matter. All around them, the air was suffused with the gut-wrenching stench of burning flesh and coppery blood.

"Ryoga, stay here," Cologne finally ordered, her eyes snapping back open. She glared at the lost boy. "Do not take a single step. Do not move. Do not get yourself or my great-granddaughter lost. Is that understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," Ryoga found himself answering her immediately.

"Good. You take care of her until she's well enough to come along, or we return. Mousse, you're with me."

The black-haired amazon looked up from here he was comforting Shampoo and looked like he was about to protest, but to his credit, he held his tongue, straightened up, and nodded. Two long swords slid into his hands. "All right, elder. Let's go."

Cologne led the way, bouncing up the steps to the shrine as Mousse followed behind. She hated the fact that Shampoo had to experience this kind of devastation at her age, hoping to spare her great-granddaughter the ugliness of war and battle. This was what distinguished the younger amazon generation from the old ones like Colonge. The young ones were all martial artists, trained to fight and win. They followed the martial artist's code, and while they fought, they would likely never see war.

The older ones, the ones that had done battle with the Musk and the Phoenix decades ago, had. They weren't martial artists, they were warriors. Unlike their children, they had been trained to fight and kill. Cologne had prayed that warriors would one day become obsolete, but now it looked like children would be pressed into doing something they weren't prepared for.

She cleared the last step in a flying leap that took her clear over an energy blast that would have killed a normal human being. Glancing down in mid-air, she could see what had shot at her, a large, three-meter long monster with clawed appendages and a shimmering carapace, just like Ranma had described them. Angling down from her leap, she let her cane lead as it touched the carapace, then quickly kicked off in a flip that carried her well away from the flying shrapnel that exploded from where she had struck the youma with the breaking point.

Mousse wasn't far behind her, and unleashed a storm of sharp objects that tore the exposed youma's flesh to ribbons. It didn't last long, and collapsed into a writhing, screeching mass on the ground, curling in on itself as it died. Cologne sprinted off towards the main building. The shrine itself was on fire, and she could see three creatures scampering around on the roof of the building that looked like it was about to collapse. Two more creatures were in the front yard, though they were heading around the building. One of the youma on the roof launched an energy blast into what Cologne assumed was the back yard.

Before she could tell Mousse, the young man had already rushed past her, flinging chains and axes from his voluminous sleeves. The axes themselves did nothing but bounce off the solid carapace on the youma, but the two chains managed to wrap themselves around two of its legs. He jumped at the same time the youma yanked on the chains, and flipped over the monster to land on its back. Letting go of the chains, Mousse slid down from its back, pulling two spherical objects from his pockets, and chucked them right into the orifice the youma was using to create the energy blasts. That was as far as he got, though, before one of the legs reversed directions in mid-swing, and caught him square in the chest, sending him flying off the roof.

The youma was about to leap after him when the two grenades he'd thrown exploded, the concussive force liquefying the monster's organs. It paused, then collapsed, nothing more than a dead carapace. "Mousse!" Cologne rushed over to her fellow amazon, relieved to see that, while the attack would leave a bruise and Mousse would definitely have a trouble sitting for a while, the youma hadn't caught him with the razor-sharp blade on its leg.

"Damn, that hurts," Mousse muttered as he used a sword he'd pulled out to stand up. Cologne smiled briefly, realizing that she had underestimated the young man as he reached into his sleeves for more weapons.

_Their armor is almost impervious to anything I can throw at them,_ Mousse thought, _but if I can get any of my explosives past that armor…_Twenty kunai slid into his hands, each one carrying a high-explosive tip as he fanned them out in his hands. "Break their armor for me, elder, and I'll send them straight back to hell," he snarled

Cologne nodded, briefly stunned at the sudden change in his demeanor. This wasn't the bumbling fool who was trying to woo her great-granddaughter. This was a warrior, someone who knew what he was doing, someone who belonged on the battlefield. _Now, how did I miss this developing right under my nose? I must be getting slow in my old age,_ Cologne thought with some amusement as she leapt onto the roof, zipping back and forth between the remaining two youma on the roof as she sought for an opening to crack their armor with the breaking point.

Mousse himself wasn't idle as he shifted to kunai to one hand, using the other to launch volleys of blunt weapons at the two youma on the ground, trying to divert their attention until he heard the tell-tale explosion of the _Bakusai Tenketsu_. So far, the two youma he'd been barraging had ignored him, until he threw a kitchen sink in frustration. To his utter surprise, it hit one of the youma, shattering with a sharp crack…and it left behind a fracture in the youma's carapace.

"Take this!" Mousse leapt forward, flinging out his left hand to launch an assortment of weapons meant to distract the youma. Just as he had planned, it used some of its appendages to swat away the incoming swords, spears, and axes, giving the myoptic amazon just enough clearance to slide in and jam three of his kunai into the fracture. The resulting explosion forced Mousse to duck and shield his eyes as part of the carapace buckled and exploded outward, pieces of cracked armor pelting his body. It also prevented him from seeing the leg that swung at him from just above.

"Mousse!"

Shampoo dashed forward, Ryoga in tow as the lost boy desperately tried to keep up with her wild charge to keep from getting lost. The purple-haired girl reached forward, catching the youma's leg on her sword. The youma's momentum caused Shampoo's arm to buckle, and the bladed leg slid down along her sword to cut deeply into her should before she could roll away. Mousse heard the pained outcry, and snarled shooting back up and jamming more kunai into the armor, before flipping away.

"_Shishi Hokodan_!" Ryoga's ki-blast slammed into the youma just after the charges went off, and the weakened carapace disintegrated under the onslaught. Ryoga was about to comment, when he caught sight of Mousse. The amazon was standing right in front of the youma, his back rigid and turned towards the lost boy. Then, to both Ryoga's and Shampoo's surprise, Mousse let loose a wild, wavering warcry as a halo of azure light surrounded him. The battle-aura slammed into being with enough force to actually crater the ground he was standing on, and Ryoga whistled softly at its intensity.

Mousse took two steps forward, snapping his hands out to launch the remaining explosive darts. "Die," he whispered as the weapons struck the now unprotected underbelly and exploded, covering the ground in gore and ichor.

"Whoa, that's intense," Ryoga muttered under his breath as he leaned down to look at Shampoo. The girl was already standing up, one hand clutching at her injured shoulder, and he swore softly. Blood was seeping through her fingers, and the cut seemed pretty deep. Still, there was a determined glint in her eyes as she hefted her sword and nodded at him.

"Mousse!" Cologne's cry from overhead was quickly followed by a youma coming flying down from the roof to land in front of them. Ryoga quickly grabbed hold of Shampoo and leapt to the side, even as the youma began following them. Four sets of chains flew out of nowhere and wrapped themselves around its legs, tripping it as an enraged Mousse yanked with all his ki-enhanced strength.

Ryoga took the opportunity and jumped, praying to the kami that he didn't get lost in mid-air. He didn't, and came down on top of the youma's back, fist cocked back. The punch slammed into the youma's back with deafening force, sending a shockwave through its body despite the protective carapace that caused its four remaining legs to buckle underneath. The creature let out a high-pitched shriek as it collapsed onto its own razor-tipped legs. A sharp crack ended its life as it impaled itself.

Ryoga turned around, trying to look for Mousse or Shampoo so he could follow them, and found them busy deflecting the other youma's attacks. It had used their distraction to close the distance, and was too close for Mousse to open up with explosives. The myoptic amazon had managed to entangle two of the youma's eight legs with his chains, and was wielding a short spear in one hand and a kitchen sink as a shield with the other as he defended himself and Shampoo. The girl put up a decent defense, but the blood seeping from her wound continued to slow her down, and it was only her pride as a fighter and her willpower that kept her going.

"Try this on for size!" Ryoga hollered across the battlefield as he pushed his hands forward. "_Shishi Hokodan_!"

The green-tinted ki-blast roared across the distance and blasted into the youma, knocking it back a few meters. It wasn't much, but it gave Mousse enough time to let go of his chains, lift Shampoo into his arms, and leap next to Ryoga. "It's armor is too strong to be pierced by anything except probably some enchanted weapons," the amazon informed him, "the elder's been using the breaking point to destroy the armor. Without it, they're easily killed."

"Breaking point, huh?" Ryoga nodded. "All right. Here we go."

"Ryoga, wait!"

The lost boy turned around. "What?"

Mousse stood up from where he'd laid Shampoo on the ground and had wrapped a piece of cloth around her wound. "We take it together. Break the armor for me, and I'll make it regret ever having been alive."

The tone of utter cold hatred in the amazon's voice sent a shiver down Ryoga's spine. It was rare for any of their group to ever get to that stage. Angry, yes, and even though Ryoga continually insisted that he hated Ranma, it was more like a simmering animosity. The tone in Mousse's voice left him with no doubt that he would do everything in his power to wipe out every last one of them. It was a side Ryoga had only seen once, when Ranma had believed Akane had died at Jusendo. It had resulted in the pig-tailed martial artist pulling out all the stops, every trick in the book, and showing them for the first time, just what he was truly capable of. It had resulted in Saffron's demise.

"All right." Ryoga looked down and kicked up the sword Shampoo had been using. She wouldn't need it any longer, as she was barely remaining conscious. Like Ranma, he didn't like using weapons, but after getting a close look at what a glancing blow had done to Shampoo, he preferred to have something to deflect the youma's attacks with.

The two nodded at each other and spread out to either side of the slowly advancing youma. When they were ninety degrees apart, they both opened up, barraging the creature with ki-blasts and the entirety of Mousse's arsenal. It reared up in silent fury, but seemed unable to decide which one to attack. Whenever it started moving off to one side, the other would intensify his attacks, which would draw it back to the other side. The final decision was taken out of its proverbial hands, however.

"_Hiryuu Shoten Ha_!"

The whirlwind Cologne had summoned up ripped into the remains of the building, instantly putting out the flames. Tiles started coming off the roof, and then the entire ceiling lifted up with a tortured groan as the winds gained strength. Soon, the youma the elder had been fighting on the roof was being tossed around by the storm force winds until the hurricane abruptly cut out, leaving the youma hanging a hundred yards above the ground. It came falling down and smashed right into its brethren on the ground, and, much like a melon falling from the sky, both of them split open from the impact.

Cologne hopped down from the roof, and all three martial artist rushed over to Shampoo's side. The ancient woman prodded her great-granddaughter and applied a few pressure points, before eyeing the crude, but expertly applied bandage, noting that along with her pressure points, it had done the trick of slowing down the bleeding. Shampoo would hurt for a while, and the shoulder would be lacking mobility for a few weeks, but she'd survive.

"Shampoo, you all right?" Mousse asked, his expression softening to something more akin to what Cologne was used of him.

"She's unconscious," she told him, then smiled gently. "But she'll be all right. You make quite the adept healer, Mousse."

The black-haired amazon ignored the compliment as he stood and lifted the girl into his arms. "I should've been faster. She got this protecting me, you know."

Cologne shook her head. "Mousse, we'll talk about this later. Right now we need to find any survivors." She knew that had probably come out the wrong way, judging from the look of self-recrimination in his eyes, but now was not the time for the conversation they needed to have. She quickly scanned her surroundings, and came to a sobering conclusion. The shrine had been pretty much leveled. If anyone had survived, then they would either have to be underground, or they had long since run away.

The clicking of blades on stone caused her to turn around, her eyes widening in surprise as she saw another youma climb up the stairs behind them. She was about to jump up and attack when the creature was enveloped in flame and the explosion caused it to slide back down the steps. Cannon shots echoed through the air as the JSDF tanks arrived, their large-caliber shells slamming into the youma's carapace until it finally cracked under the strain, and the monster died, blown to bits by the newly arriving military. Down below, Cologne could see hundreds of infantry armed with rocket-propelled grenade launchers and assault rifles sweeping the area, while the tanks slowly approached from the streets.

Stretching out her ki-senses, Cologne blinked in surprise as she found a group of very familiar people huddled in the forest behind the shrine. Turning to Ryoga and Mousse, she informed them of the others' presence. "Mousse, go fetch our packs. Ryoga, stay with my great-granddaugher. And in the name of the goddess, don't get lost, understood?"

"Yeah." Ryoga mumbled. While it was true, her constant jabs about him getting lost were annoying.

Seeing the brief look of hurt on the lost boy's face, Cologne sighed. "I'm sorry, Ryoga, but we really cannot afford to loose you right now. Just…please stay put."

"I understand." Ryoga managed a weak smile. "And don't worry about Shampoo."

Seeing that Mousse had already taken off, Cologne was about to leave, herself, when soldiers arrived on top of the hill the shrine was built on. They swept the area with their rifles and heavy weapons, but lowered them when they caught sight of the martial artists. "Are you all right?" one of the soldiers asked. She had long purple hair a few shades darker than Shampoo's, and wore a red jacket that denoted she was affiliated with the Japanese Supernatural Affairs office. The rank insignia on her chest marked her as a major.

"We're fine, thank you," Cologne replied, "but my great-granddaughter here needs medical attention. Also, there's a group of survivors hiding in the trees. I was just about to get them."

The soldier nodded, then spoke into her radio. "I've called for a helicopter. We'll have her and any other survivors air-lifted out of here immediately. Is she critical, or can she wait? I hate to ask, but we're short on choppers, and we can't afford to spare a chopper for a single person who doesn't need immediate help."

"I understand. She should be fine, the bleeding's already slowed down."

"Thank you." The major glanced around, seeing the dead youma, and Cologne heard her sharp intake of breath. "You did this?"

Cologne nodded, then looked over as Mousse came running up the stairs again, carrying three large backpacks. The young amazon quickly went to work changing Shampoo's bandage, even as more soldiers arrived, including a medic, who was started to talk to Mousse, but quickly stood back when he realized the amazon knew what he was doing.

"Damn," the soldier finally said. "I mean, they briefed us on what all of those martial artists and supernatural fighters could do, but…damn." She snapped back to attention. "You said something about more survivors?"

"Yes. Come this way." Cologne hopped away on her cane, and the soldier waved over a few of her comrades to follow her.


End file.
